Orange Schools Partner with Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank

Posted Date: 05/31/2022

The Orange Schools are hosting an outdoor book collection bin for gently-used children’s books to be distributed to children in Greater Cleveland. Gently-used children’s books that might have gone in the trash will now have a second life thanks to Orange Schools’ new partnership with the Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank.

The Kids’ Book Bank has provided Orange Schools with a large steel bin for the collection of children’s books from the community. The book bin is located outside the Pepper Pike Learning Center next to the tennis courts on the Orange Schools Campus.

“We distribute tens of thousands of books every month and the books Orange collects are much needed,” said Judy Payne, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank. “We are so grateful Orange jumped on board with this idea without hesitation.” 

Residents of the Orange Schools community are asked donates gently-used children’s books. The Orange High School Key Club will empty the bins, box the books, and deliver them to the Kids’ Book Bank, who gets them to kids in need through their network of partner organizations. “Not only do the disadvantaged kids who receive the books benefit, but there is also a great service learning opportunity here for Orange students who participate,” said Payne.

“This partnership is a great program for the children who will benefit from the book donations as well as the Orange Schools students who are a part of this service learning opportunity,” said Dr. Lynn Campbell, Superintendent.

Founded in late 2015, the mission of the Kids’ Book Bank is to foster improved literacy and a love of reading by providing free books to children in need. The goal is to break the poverty cycle by exposing disadvantaged children to language and reading from birth—fostering literacy skills, opening their minds to the world beyond their neighborhood, and fueling their imaginations. In its first two and a half years, the Kids’ Book Bank has distributed more than 1.5 million high-quality children’s books to 95,000 children and families in need in Greater Cleveland through 800+ partner agencies.

Published on 1/30/2019