There are only a few days left to donate new or gently used books to kids in need, particularly infants and those aged 12–13 (sixth grade). The drive ends Friday, August 10.

This effort, led by two Illinois Tech staff members as part of a leadership training program, is designed to assist Bernie’s Book Bank, a not-for-profit organization in Lake Bluff, Illinois, that collects, sorts, and distributes age-appropriate books to kids in the Chicagoland area who otherwise wouldn’t have any. Since 2009, Bernie’s has distributed 12,454,943 books to at-risk children, serving 300,000 kids annually.

Please look for book collection boxes in the IIT Tower and MTCC and give what you can. For your convenience, a book collection box has also been added in Paul V. Galvin Library.

• The ratio of books per child in low-income neighborhoods is one book for every 300 kids (in middle-income neighborhoods there are 13 books for every single kid)
• Two thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of the fourth grade will end up in jail or on welfare
• There is a direct correlation between childhood literacy and high school graduation

No textbooks, workbooks, or reference books please.