Richland One Super intendent Dr. Percy Mack and Richland One Deputy Superintendent Debra Brathwaite encourage the community to participate in the district’s book barrel campaign to collect books for students to read at home. For many students, the only books they have are the ones they’re issued at school. Richland One’s new book barrel campaign aims to change that.

In conjunction with its L.E.A.D.S. (Literacy Excellence Achieves Desired Success) initiative, Richland One has launched a community–wide book barrel campaign. Book collection barrels will be set up at sites across the district and throughout the community to make it convenient for citizens to donate new or gently used books (no torn or missing pages) appropriate for students in grades K–12.

“Our goal is to get books into the hands of our students so they have their own books at home to read,” said Deputy Superintendent Debra Brathwaite. “Literacy is a community issue that affects all of us. It impacts employment, family, and other issues.”

Statistics on America’s reading habits are startling: one–third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives; 42% of college graduates never read a book after college; 80% of families did not buy or read a book last year; and 70% of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore for the last five years.

Books appropriate for donation through the book barrel campaign include picture books, chapter books, non–fiction books, and novels. Books that are not appropriate for donation include textbooks, teacher’s editions, and workbooks. Businesses and organizations that would like to serve as book barrel sites should call the deputy superintendent’s Office at 231-7432.

The City of Columbia Police Department is among the first to get involved in the project, using the slogan “Readers are Leaders, so Book ‘Em Now.” The department has set up collection barrels at its headquarters (#1 Justice Square at Washington and Lincoln streets) and its four regional offices at 1600 Bull Street, 3905 Ensor Avenue, 2132 Devine Street, and 690 Club Road. For more information about the Columbia Police Department’s involvement in Richland One’s book barrel campaign, go to www.columbiapd.com

Book barrel sites in Richland One include the Stevenson Administration Building at 1616 Richland Street and the Waverley Administration Center at 1225 Oak Street.

For more information, please contact the Richland One Office of Communications at 231-7504 or 231-7510.