You may remember KSBY's "If You Give a Child a Book..." campaign that took place in September 2021.
In our second year of the campaign community support along with donations from KSBY employees broke our first year's record, with $47,804 raised.
KSBY partnered with the Scripps Howard Foundation and Scholastic to turn that money into books. With children's books costing nearly $5, the amount raised is equal to about 9,560 books for Central Coast students in need.
KSBY chose four Title One Elementary Schools on the Central Coast to distribute these books to, including; Lillian Larson Elementary School in San Miguel, Bonita Elementary and Arellanes Elementary in Santa Maria, and Oceano Elementary.
This week, the schools held book fairs to distribute these new children's books to their students. With each student at the school able to take home five to six new books.
"It's a great opportunity cause some students don't really get the money to buy books and some kids don't even get the opportunity to go to school so I think it's a great opportunity to have the books here and be able to pick them yourself," said Bonita Elementary sixth-grader, Imelda Mendoza.
This is the second year KSBY donated the books to Arellanes Elementary School in Santa Maria. For our first year the school had to hold a book distribution drive-thru because of the pandemic. This year, a book fair was held outdoors, and the librarian tells us it makes a big difference when the kids can pick their own books instead of being handed books already chosen for them.
"There are no words to see the expressions on the kids' faces, I wish everybody who donated and everybody from KSBY and Scripps can see what we see when the smile comes on and the book is in the kids' hands," said Arellanes Librarian, Cesar Ruiz.
To put it in perspective, totaling all the students at these four elementary schools, your donations impacted 1,670 students in need on the Central Coast.
If you missed your chance to donate...do not worry, we will return for our third year of the "If You Give a Child a Book..." campaign in September 2022.
