A $25 donation could buy $50 worth of books for Belmont Street Community School this fall, part of a matching challenge aimed at putting roughly 1,500 new books on the shelves of the school’s library.
The Worcester Elementary School Library Coalition has secured an anonymous donor who matches contributions to the Belmont Street library dollar for dollar, up to $10,000, through Oct. 15. If the campaign raises the full amount, the school would receive $20,000 for new books serving its nearly 600 students.
The campaign is one of the first efforts by the Worcester Elementary School Library Coalition, a nonprofit founded this year to help revitalize elementary school libraries across the city and expand students’ access to books.
At Belmont Street, Principal Emily Kokanski said building a collection large enough to serve students throughout the school requires a substantial investment.
“We estimate that it would take approximately $20,000 to fully stock our library shelves and bring the collection to a place where we would feel really good about what we are able to offer our students,” Kokanski said in the announcement. “Belmont serves just about 600 students, so building a library collection that is large, varied, and appropriate for all of our students is a significant undertaking.”
The matching campaign is designed to meet that estimated $20,000 need in full. Every contribution made through Oct. 15 will effectively be doubled until the campaign reaches $10,000 in community donations. A $25 contribution, for example, would generate $50 for books, while a $100 donation would become $200.
If the full match is unlocked, the coalition estimates the money will purchase approximately 1,500 books.
“It means a great deal to our Belmont community, and I’m very grateful for your support,” Kokanski said in the announcement.
The Worcester Elementary School Library Coalition works with Worcester Public Schools, Worcester Public Library and community partners to improve elementary school library collections, with an emphasis on providing books that support literacy and learning while giving children more choices for independent reading.
The coalition is seeking contributions from residents as well as businesses, foundations and other organizations for the Belmont Street campaign.
Donations toward the matching challenge can be made through the coalition’s Belmont Street Community School campaign. The deadline to have contributions matched is Oct. 15.
