Charity Event: Gale to Build and Install 21 Little Free Libraries in Detroit Neighborhoods to Inspire Reading and Boost Literacy
Gale, part of Cengage Group, in partnership with Brilliant Detroit and Little Free Library, will be hosting a charity event where its employees will be building 21 Little Free Libraries that will be installed in high-need neighborhoods across Detroit. Each little library will be stocked with a variety of books – donated by Gale and their employees – for children and adults to inspire a lifelong love of reading. We invite local media outlets to come and cover the event.
The Little Free Libraries will include diverse, award-winning and bestselling youth large print books donated by Thorndike Press, Gale’s large print publisher. Youth large print makes reading more accessible for developing readers and is proven to increase decoding and comprehension.
A Little Free Library is a “take a book, return a book” free book-sharing exchange. They come in many shapes and sizes, but the most common version is a small wooden box of books, that are often built by supporters or volunteers – with their own unique, personal touch. Little Free Library book-sharing boxes provide 24/7 access to books in areas where books are scarce to encourage a love of reading.
When:
Thursday, May 18, 2023
9:30 A.M – 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time
Where:
Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center
400 Renaissance Dr., Columbus Ballroom-4th floor, Detroit, MI 48243
Why:
With Detroit’s literacy rates lower than the national average, Gale hopes that placing Little Free Libraries throughout the area will help improve these rates and give children and adults access to free books as well as inspire a lifelong love of reading.
The partnership has a concentrated focus on providing young readers with access to youth large print books because research shows that large print text can improve reading confidence and skill level in students. A recent study conducted by Project Tomorrow®, an education nonprofit, indicates that students in grades 3-12 who read large print books developed stronger reading skills, felt more comfortable reading, and adopted new, positive reading mindsets.
