Southern Minnesota Children to Receive Thousands of Donated Books

Picture Window Books and Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation have partnered to donate more than 4,000 books, valued at over $70,000, to children in southern Minnesota. The books will be distributed through 20 nonprofit organizations starting on July 13.

The books are being distributed through the foundation's BookStart program, a collaborative effort with Picture Window Books. While local organizations collect their books on Tuesday, children will participate in reading stations at the foundation's office in Owatonna.

"Our partnership with Picture Window Books provides books to children across southern Minnesota thanks to the many local community distribution projects," said Trixie Ann Golberg, president of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. "Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation is committed to investing in our youngest children because we firmly believe that these investments pay big dividends for our communities, our businesses and our families. Studies have proven that every dollar spent on quality child development saves $7 in negative outcomes."

Organizations to receive books include: Albert Lea's Healthy Families; Amboy's Story Hour; Chatfield's Chosen Valley Elementary Title I; Faribault's McKinley ECFE Center; Gaylord Public Library; Goodhue County's Education District; Lyle Community Library; Mankato Family YMCA; Mankato's Minnesota Valley Action Council Head Start; Olmsted County Public Health Services; Owatonna Community Education; Rochester's Child Resource & Referral Crisis Nursery & Head Start; Rochester Catholic K-12; Rushford-Peterson Partners in Education; St. James' RSVP; Springfield's St. John's Grand Kids; Spring Grove School Readiness Program; Waseca ECFE; Waseca Parents as Teachers and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown ECFE.

BookStart is a component of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation's Early Childhood Initiative - an effort to ensure all young children have the care and education that leads to success in school and in life.

"Having access and exposure to books is a critical step toward reading," said Teresa Kittridge, president of Picture Window Books, which is part of the Coughlan Companies in, Mankato. "If our donation helps even one child build the foundation to reading, we are successful." Picture Window Books has donated more than $100,000 in books in partnership with Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation's BookStart program since the development of the program in 2003.

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