This fall, thousands of students got to live out every kid’s dream: they chose books to take home from the Scholastic Book Fair for free! As the Kids & Family Reading Report shows, the majority of kids ages 6–17 agree their favorite books are ones that they have picked out themselves.
Thanks to the UChicago My Very Own Library (MVOL) program, students at MVOL partner schools across the country, and in the Dominican Republic, will get to choose 10 new free books from their school fairs during the 2019–2020 school year, as part of the literacy initiative that empowers students to build their very own home libraries.
And the MVOL team is getting a lot bigger! MVOL and Scholastic Book Fairs recently announced a new partnership with the NFL Alumni Association to help students tackle reading. Former NFL players will participate in read-alouds and family literacy events throughout the year to foster a love of literacy in kids. The news was recently celebrated at a reading pep rally hosted by the United Way of Greater Newark at Newark Public School’s South Street School, with visiting NFL football legends in attendance, including NFL Alumni President Bart Oates. Following the event, NFL alumni also joined local high school football players in visiting classrooms to read aloud to students.
Check out some of the excitement from the day’s events and from the fall Scholastic Book Fairs at MVOL schools across the country!
Yesterday, NFLA President Bart Oates & Player Members David Caldwell and Derrick Chambers, teamed up with @uchicago for their @mvolibrary initiative to help more than 50,000 kids tackle reading!
— NFL Alumni (@NFLAlumni) December 12, 2019
Click the link to learn more or get involved: https://t.co/amP9PWLj63 #CaringforKids pic.twitter.com/nqCAMUGHm1
Great Day in Newark @mvolibrary @Scholastic @UWGreaterNewark and NFL Alumni’s at South St School. pic.twitter.com/ABIZo0OuS1
— Lynne Fiorica (@LynneFiorica) December 11, 2019
Our students love to reading! And their personal libraries just got bigger thanks to our wonderful sponsors @mvolibrary & @UChicago. We are delighted and thankful to be part of the MVOL initiative that supports elementary students build their personal libraries & reading habits. pic.twitter.com/VtJo1lvCzK
— Murray Language Academy (@MurrayWildcats) December 5, 2019
Today @UChicago kicked off a series of @mvolibrary Book Fairs on Chicago’s South Side, bringing three esteemed authors into eight @ChiPubSchools for Q&As with students. Over the next two weeks, more than 9,500 students will self-select five free books to bring home. pic.twitter.com/Y26W0sERGm
— UChicago Civic Engagement (@UChiEngagement) December 3, 2019
My Very Own Library was founded in 2011. It was designed to foster a lifelong love of learning in children, while also helping them to own and take pride in their home library collection. The program has served more than 50,000 students and distributed more than 2 million books since its inception. This 2019-2020 school year, with national headquarters out of the University of Chicago, the program will give away more than 500,000 free books to over 50,000 students in the United States and the Dominican Republic.
Keep up to date with UChicago My Very Own Library on Instagram and Twitter!
Photos Courtesy of NFL Alumni Association
