Palatine Park District Collected 900 Books for Children
The Palatine Park District staff Service Committee hosted a book drive for two weeks in October, resulting in a collection of 900 children's books that were donated to Bernie's Book Bank in Chicago.
According to a representative from the book bank, "This means you have helped us serve 75 children with 12 books this year." The collection took place over two weeks in the District's recreation center lobbies and its four preschool locations, Birchwood, Eagle Park, Maple Park, and Parkside, culminating with donations made at the annual Halloween Party at Community Center. According to book drive coordinator Debbie Keenan, "The Palatine Park District Staff Service Committee is so grateful for the support of the community with this year's book drive. We would not have had such a successful outcome without our preschool families, Halloween Party participants, and visitors to our facilities."
The Palatine Park District Service Committee, formed in 2013, is a volunteer opportunity that allows District staff members to give back to the community. Other committee initiatives have included food drives, pet needs drives, holiday collections, and a variety of environmental clean-up and service opportunities in the community and beyond. The committee is chaired by the District's Volunteer Coordinator, Alissa DePue, and the committee's leadership liaison is Assistant Superintendent of Recreation Donelda Danz. Committee members include Lisa Allie, Jean Farrar, Trish Feid, Debbie Keenan, Tom Landeck, Dan Mangum, Lisa Schroeder, and Ed Tynczuk.
According to their website, Bernie's Book Bank "sources, processes, and distributes quality children's books to significantly increase book ownership among at-risk infants, toddlers, and school-age children throughout Chicagoland." They have distributed over 13 million books since 2009 and they strive to provide 12 books per year for twelve years to children who are at risk. For more information about Bernie's Book Bank and their literacy initiatives, visit berniesbookbank.org.
The mission of Palatine Park District is to provide a variety of safe, enjoyable, and affordable parks, programs, and recreational facilities that will enhance the quality of life by promoting good health and well-being for all residents and visitors while being fiscally responsible stewards of community assets and tax dollars.