Ohio University’s Patton College of Education is proud to announce an exciting initiative that will bring positive impact to many in the region. The Molina Foundation has granted the Patton College of Education’s Edward Stevens Literacy Center 30,000 books of high-quality literature to distribute to low-income, at-risk families throughout Southeast Ohio counties.
“On behalf of the Patton College’s Stevens Literacy Center, we are thrilled to be the stewards of this project. This grant will support a wide distribution of reading material in an effort to increase the accessibility of high-quality literature for all ages in our region,” Julie Barnhart Francis, director of the Stevens Literacy Center, said.
FVRC received books from the Stevens Literacy Center at Ohio University through their Molina Foundation Grant (a national organization) for our little book room.
“We’ve distributed books through almost all the local school districts, the Athens library, both local medical systems, Integrated Services, Jobs and Family Services, Athens on Wheels, Ohio Rise, Appalachian Behavioral Studies, and a few local churches. Everyone is enthusiastic and excited about the books. We are grateful to our community partners that strengthen the chain of distribution from the ACEnet warehouse and into the hands of children, adults, and families across our region,” Francis added.
One important logistical consideration of this initiative was the proper storage of the books. The Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet) provided the much-needed warehouse space to accommodate the large volume of books while the Stevens Literacy Center built local community partnerships.
“We are glad that we had the opportunity and some space at our Nelsonville facility to help the Stevens Literacy Center obtain their Molina Foundation book grant. The quality and diversity of the new books is amazing, and we are excited to see them getting out into our communities,” said Executive Director Larry Fisher.
For full Athens News story: https://www.athensnews.com/news/ou-s-patton-college-of-education-s-stevens-literacy-center-provides-free-books-to-southeast/article_f6a3516c-74ad-11ed-b1b1-93b290c1ce84.html
