Businesses are donation sites for book drive
Spearheaded by United Way of Lake County, Page it Forward 2.0 has already collected more than 10,000 books toward its 200,000 book goal.
Page it Forward 2.0 officially kicked off June 21 when Lake Forest-based Trustmark and Lincolnshire-based Aon Hewitt hosted corporate challenge collection sites for book donations and UWLC hosted a speed reading competition in Vernon Hills.
Page it Forward 2.0 runs through Sept. 11. Throughout the summer, the public can donate new or gently-used children’s books at one of nearly 50 community locations throughout Lake County, including First Midwest Bank locations, free-standing Starbucks locations, and local farmers markets and park districts. The full list can be viewed at www.pageitforward.org.
The next corporate challenge collection sites will be at United Conveyor in Waukegan Thursday, July 19, and ITW Angleboard in Lake Zurich Wednesday, Aug. 15. Lake County businesses that sign up to participate in corporate challenges are provided with tool kits that help them run their own book drives.
The top three businesses that donate the most books will receive a custom Page it Forward traveling trophy, bragging rights for the year and special recognition at UWLC’s Annual Leadership Breakfast in the fall.
There are many ways in which individuals and families from all over Lake County are jumping on board to promote Page it Forward 2.0, whether it be passing out fliers at community parades, monitoring collection bins at local businesses or running book drives in their own neighborhoods.
One such example is Ethan and Sarah Nielander, a brother/sister team from Gurnee. This duo set out to collect 500 books for their mitzvah project.
“We love reading, and it is always going to be important in every aspect of your life. That’s why we wanted to do a project within our community and make an impact,” Sarah said.
“We shouldn’t take all the things we have for granted, like books,” Ethan added.
Ethan and Sarah, both in seventh grade, established a community book drive that will take place Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 18 and 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Dominick’s in Gurnee.
They have even created a Facebook page, designed fliers and made T-shirts to promote their cause. The Nielanders also plan to hold a garage sale with the help of their family, where proceeds will go to support Page it Forward and children’s literacy.
In addition to the corporate challenges and community drop-off sites, United Way of Lake County offers custom Peer-to-Peer fundraising tools and social media options to those who wish to contribute.
By texting the word “PAGE” to 85944, donors can give $10 to support childhood literacy. A sponsor will also donate a book for every “like” Page it Forward received at www.facebook.com/pageitforward.
For more information, including volunteer opportunities, downloadable materials and the latest updates, visit www.pageitforward.org.