This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
Kalamazoo is a tightly knit diverse community in Southwest Michigan. It is home to a beautiful tapestry of families with unique stories and circumstances, all of who deserve access to books and literacy opportunities reflective of themselves.
Most young people of Kalamazoo attend one of 24 schools where classroom teachers dedicate their days to providing quality instruction and genuine care for the whole child.
The Art of Planting Little Free Libraries is an initiative sparked by the ideas of 4th Grade ELA Teacher, Dionna Roberts, and Career & Technical Education (CTE) Art & Design Career Skills Teacher, Kellen Deau. These two educators are committed to serving and supporting their students, families, and communities by keeping neighborhood Little Free Libraries stocked with high-quality texts. They want to supply families with books (some written and illustrated by local authors and illustrators) that benefit the entire Kalamazoo community, and especially the children and teens of neighborhoods where some of our most vulnerable populations reside.
My Project
Book deserts exist here in the Kalamazoo community. We want to provide fresh water to these areas by maintaining and stocking Kalamazoo-made and designed Little Free Library book boxes. Books educate, motivate and inspire. Books prepare us for success in school and beyond. Books are magical and ignite innovation and imagination.
Sadly, a book-free or limited book home is a problematic reality for many families in our community and we want to be a part of the solution.
Equally important is that Kalamazoo children and teens have access to not only used, dated, donated books in their neighborhood book boxes but also new, relevant, diverse books where they can see themselves reflected in the illustrations and text.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Roberts and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
