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FOX 17 gives away 1,824 books to children through 'If You Give A Child A Book' campaign

Posted at 10:59 AM, Jan 18, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-18 11:44:37-05

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — One of the greatest predictors of a child’s success is books in the home. Over 61% of low-income families do not have any books in their homes, and now, more than ever, children need them.

Employees at FOX 17, along with the Scripps Howard Foundation, have made it their mission to get high-quality books to children in our community through the "If You Give A Child A Book" campaign.

This past summer, FOX 17 did a call-out for donations from employees and the community. With those collected funds and with a matching contribution from the Scripps Howard Foundation, we are able to give 1,824 books to children in the community this year.

The nationwide campaign resulted in more than 207,200 books that will be distributed, which will generate about 37 million reading minutes.

This week, children at East Leonard Elementary School in Grand Rapids will get to pick out six books to take home for free during a Scholastic book fair. Later this spring, the school will host a second book fair where students will get to take home another six books for free.

It’s not too late to make a donation! Every $5 you donate buys one book for a child in need. Click here to donate.