For the next three weeks, Chapters Peterborough will be raising funds to support the library at Immaculate Conception Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough’s East City.
From September 12 to October 2, every dollar raised in the store at 873 Lansdowne Street or online will go directly to Immaculate Conception’s school library to purchase new books.
The campaign is part of the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation’s annual Adopt a School Program, designed to raise both funds and awareness about the importance of school libraries. During the campaign, Indigo-owned stores across Canada “adopt” a local or remote high-needs elementary school to support them through in-store fundraising.
According to the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation, government funding for Canadian school libraries and librarians has been declining since the 1990s. To offset decline funding, schools and parents have resorted to fundraising efforts.
Parents have also purchased more books for their children to read at home. However, families with fewer resources rely on school libraries to help their children succeed in school, and the libraries offer access to printed, audio, and electronic resources for students who might not otherwise have such access.
Studies also show that students in schools with well-staffed, stocked, and funded libraries score from 10 to 25 per cent higher on standardized tests than students in schools with poorly resourced libraries.
Nicole “Nikki” Tripp, the Learning Commons Specialist (a.k.a. librarian) at Immaculate Conception, applied to the Adopt a School Program earlier this year and the school was accepted.
“With the majority of our library budget coming from book fair fundraisers, new purchases for our library have been slim since 2019,” Tripp explains.
As well as donating to Immaculate Conception’s library in-store at Chapters Peterborough, you can also donate online.
Depending on the amount raised in-store and online, Immaculate Conception will receive funds either in the form of an Indigo e-gift card or an Indigo corporate account for the school. Indigo will also provide a 30 per cent discount on the list price on books purchased by the school using the funds, giving the school the opportunity to stretch the funds even further.
“With this funding, our goal is to increase the number of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) non-fiction books that we have for all grade levels and update fiction series with the newest additions that students are waiting for — specifically, graphic novels,” Tripp says.
For more information about the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation, visit www.indigoloveofreading.org.
