CHANDLER — On April 4, Story Monsters BookBank wants Arizonans to remember something: Many of the state’s young children only have access to age-appropriate books and people to read to them when they get to school.
That’s one reason why the nonprofit is participating in Arizona Gives Day, a collaboration between the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits and the Arizona Grantmakers Forum. On the first Tuesday of April each year, the statewide, 24-hour, online giving campaign helps people find, learn about and contribute to the causes they believe in.
Story Monsters BookBank, a 501(c)(3) and a division of Five Star Literacy Foundation, gives support and funds to schools and libraries for books, as well as for author visits, book writing and publishing workshops, and other activities aimed at helping kids learn and love to read.
Linda Goth, president of Story Monsters BookBank, hopes Arizonans will invest in their children by supporting the nonprofit during the campaign.
“Arizona’s Early Childhood Task Force has reported that how well a third-grader reads tells a lot about how likely they are to graduate high school. The report also said 25 percent of teens in Arizona don’t graduate in four years,” said Goth. “Story Monsters BookBank can help. We put books kids want to read into school libraries. We also fund activities that get them excited about reading, which pays off throughout a child’s life.”
Story Monsters welcomes donations of all sizes. For example, a $5 or $20 gift to Story Monsters will be used wherever the need is greatest. A $39 gift means a Title 1 school will receive a 12-month subscription to Story Monsters Ink magazine for use in the classroom. A $125 donation will send 25 books to a Title 1 classroom, and a gift of $500 allows a school to choose 50 books or 13 year-long subscriptions to Story Monsters Ink. The magazine is a Mom’s Choice Gold Award recipient and has been named among the “great magazines for kids and teens” by School Library Journal, among other accolades.
To support Story Monsters BookBank during Arizona Gives Day, type “story monsters” in the search bar at azgives.org. Pre-scheduled donations are accepted.
For more information about the nonprofit, visit StoryMonstersBookBank.com.
