Florida School Libraries Awarded Thousands In Bush Foundation Grants
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Former First Lady Laura Bush
Fifteen school libraries in Florida are getting grant money to pay for library books. The funding is from the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries and the Target Corporation.
238 school libraries nationwide are being awarded $1,126,315 in grants this year. That amounts to nearly $5,000 per school.
Keeping school libraries well-stocked is the mission of the foundation, since many kids have little access to books outside of school.
Florida’s 2012 grant recipients:
- Coral Springs High School, Coral Springs
- Cholee Lake Elementary School, Greenacres
- Indian Pines Elementary School, Lake Worth
- Starlight Cove Community Elementary School, Lantana
- Scott Lake Elementary School, Miami
- Fienberg-Fisher K-8 Center, Miami Beach
- Silver Lakes Middle School, North Lauderdale
- Magnolia School, Orlando
- Ensley Elementary School, Pensacola
- Holm Elementary School, Pensacola
- James A. Shanks Middle School, Quincy
- DeSoto Elementary School, Tampa
- Stewart Middle Magnet School, Tampa
- Wimauma Elementary School, Wimauma
- Woodville Elementary School, Woodville
The foundation is named for former First Lady Laura Bush. She worked as a public school teacher and librarian in Texas before moving into the White House with her husband, President George W. Bush. She served as First Lady from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009.
The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries was founded in 2002 to help school libraries update, extend and diversify their book and print collections. Since then, the foundation has awarded more than $9.5 million to school libraries.
It gave an additional $6.3 million to schools along the Gulf Coast to restock their storm-damaged libraries.
School libraries may apply for the grants each year through the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region.