By Pepper Parr
September 23, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Did you know that there are school libraries in Burlington that can only afford to purchase one new book per year for every three children, leaving students without adequate access to resources for literacy development and overall growth.
The Indigo Love of Reading Foundation has announced their 2017 Indigo Adopt a School program which has named three Burlington schools that will be part of the program
Holy Rosary adopted by Indigo Spirit Mapleview Centre
Kings Road adopted by Chapters Burlington
Paul A. Fisher adopted by Indigo Burlington
The program runs from September 16 – October 8, 2017
There are several parts to the program.
There are schools that do not have funds to purchase books for their students.
The Adopt a school program
During the campaign, Indigo, its employees and their communities rally together to raise in-store donations and online donations with each dollar raised going towards transforming their adopted school’s library. The goal of Adopt a School is to add one book for every child to school libraries in high-needs communities and to raise awareness for the literacy challenges facing high- needs elementary schools.
All participating Indigo, Chapters, and Coles stores have “adopted” a local school to fundraise on its behalf during the three-week campaign period. To qualify for the program, all adopted schools must identify as “high-needs” elementary schools, having a library budget of less than $30 per student per year. During the campaign, Indigo employees together with their communities raise in-store donations, with every dollar contributed helping to transform their adopted school’s library.
In addition to in-store support, the Foundation provides a free online fundraising platform to all the schools that have been “adopted” by Indigo, Chapters and Coles stores, as well as over 350 other high-needs elementary schools across Canada. The online platform, adoptaschool.indigo.ca, allows supporters to find a participating school of their choice to support. Each participating school is also eligible to receive up to an additional $1,200 for books through the Foundation’s matching initiatives.
Reading at a very early stage sets a foundation for the education needed in a society where information is vital.
All schools participating in the Adopt a School program receive 100% of the funds raised in-store and online at adoptaschool.indigo.ca. At the end of the campaign, the Foundation will provide each school with their funds as an eGiftcard for the purchase of books. In addition, the schools will receive a 30% discount on books at Indigo, Chapters and Coles stores.
Book Bonus! – For every $20 donation online (adoptaschool.indigo.ca), the equivalent value of two books, made to a participating school, the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation will contribute a donation of $10, the equivalent of one extra book, up to $1,000.
Adopt a School Story Contest
Canadians can also get involved by sharing a short story on the online profile of a participating school, with an option to “heart” their favourite stories. In each province, the top five schools with the most “heart” stories will have a chance to win a top prize of $2,500 Indigo eGiftcard to purchase new books. The remaining four schools in each province will receive $500 Indigo eGiftcard for new library resources. The top prize will be selected by random draw.
Tell a Story, Give a Story! – Through adoptaschool.indigo.ca, supporters are able to submit a story in support of a participating school of their choice, with no donation required. For every story shared, the Foundation will donate $10, the equivalent of a book to support the students at that school, up to $200.
Since its inception in 2004, the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation has committed over $25 million to support more than 3,000 Canadian high-needs elementary schools. The Foundation has impacted the lives of more than 900,000 students, replenishing school libraries in every Canadian province and territory.
