TLC Gifts Grant to SMART Reading Program

We recently gifted a $10,000 grant to provide shared reading support and new books for 284 students participating in SMART Reading at five Oregon Coast Title 1 schools:

• Astor Elementary (Clatsop County) – 26 students
• Pacific Ridge (Clatsop County) – 135 students
• South Prairie (Tillamook County) – 18 students
• Nestucca (Tillamook County) – 30 students
• Oceanlake (Lincoln County) – 75 students

The schools are recognizing us as the May Book Giveaway sponsor, and students will collectively add 568 new books to their personal libraries this month! Each student gets a branded bookmark encouraging children and parents to be active, engaged readers. Also included in the sponsorship is reading support provided by reading volunteers and program coordination by SMART staff.

We applied for a grant through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines Member Impact Fund, which matched our $2,500 gift at $3 to $1, rounding out the sizable $10,000 total. We selected SMART Reading, a partner since 2016, as a natural fit for the funds. “We support youth literacy programs like SMART because they help set up children for successful futures in school and in adulthood,” says our Marketing and Community Development Manager, Crystal Garrison. “Gifting a child a new book may appear a small gesture, but we believe this gift could instill a lifelong love of reading and learning.”

Photo: (From left) Debbie Deupree, SMART Volunteer Site Coordinator; Amy McCormick-Friesz, SMART Corporate Relations Development Officer; and Crystal Garrison, Fibre Federal Marketing and Community Development Manager.