SPRINGFIELD - Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White announced that the Illinois Literacy Foundation (ILF) completed the “10 Ton Challenge” initiative providing a book to every public school child in the 10 lowest per capita income counties in Illinois.
“I am proud to serve as chairman of the Illinois Literacy Foundation and the Illinois State Library’s 10 Ton Challenge. Working with local organizations we are trying to ensure that all Illinoisans, especially children, have access to literacy and library services,” said White, ex-officio chair of the ILF. “This initiative fulfills the mission of the foundation putting school children on a path to lifelong learning.”
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The project concluded last month with 39 school districts receiving a total of 26,347 books to share with enrolled students. These books were given to students to take home and keep. Since book ownership and access to books are prerequisites to literacy, the foundation blanketed Alexander, Johnson, Brown, Perry, McDonough, Pulaski, Franklin, Hardin, Jackson, and Lawrence counties’ public school districts with reading material.
Since its establishment in 1999, the ILF has worked to support literacy programs throughout the state. In partnership with the Illinois State Library, the foundation is committed to ensuring that all Illinois citizens have the reading skills necessary to achieve their utmost potential.
For more information about the Illinois Literacy Foundation, visit https://www.theillinoisliteracyfoundation.org/.
