Write a commentThe Oswego Bookmobile Book Auction Fundraiser starts this evening at 7PM. This auction features autographed, children's and young adult books with one book, 'Naughty Mabel' by actor, Nathan Lane.
“The unique aspect of this book auction are the videos” said Nick Little, Oswego Bookmobile Board of Directors member. “City leaders like our own Mayor Barlow, were asked to read excerpts from one of the six books in order to give the bidders a glimpse into the stories, and of course, they're fun to watch!”.
The book auction is only the second organized public fundraiser for Oswego Bookmobile, in order to gather funding for their summer program. The auction starts September 18th, at 7pm and will run through next Sunday, the 25th ending at 8pm. iHeartOswego has worked with the Oswego Bookmobile for the last four years and was invited to join the fundraising committee to help develop new ideas and expand those already currently in place.
“The bookmobile has been very successful with the previous “cash mob” style book sales” said Victoria Usherwood Gailinas, marketing director for iHeartOswego. “We wanted to bring just a little more fun into the promotion of the books themselves, as well as to give them a hyper-local appeal. We think the videos will have a broader appeal to people not previously exposed to the Oswego Bookmobile and it's importance within our community.”
The auction can be found on OswegoBookmobile.com under the AUCTION tab in the menu bar.
The Oswego Bookmobile was founded in 2011 to combat an alarming trend. Testing indicates that economically disadvantaged children in the Oswego City School District are significantly less proficient in reading than their more affluent peers. By eighth grade there is a 40% gap between the percentage of economically disadvantaged children who are proficient in reading and the percentage of their peers who are proficient! This is due, in large part, to having limited access to books at their reading level in their homes and in their neighborhoods during summer months. This trend is commonly referred to as the “summer reading slide” and has a significant, long term impact on the academic success of children.
To combat this deficiency, the Oswego Bookmobile drives to areas with the highest concentration of children from low income families in the city of Oswego, Town of Oswego, and Town of Scriba for seven weeks during summer vacation. The bookmobile provides youth with opportunities to participate in book selection at their independent reading levels and to own personal libraries of books they love. The program focuses its resources on children in low-income families who are most impacted by loss of reading skills when school is not in session. Without books, at-risk children rarely read during the summer and they suffer setbacks in academic achievement as a result.
The Oswego Bookmobile is truly a community endeavor- a collaboration of Oswego Public Library, Oswego City School District, SUNY Oswego, iHeartOswego and a dedicated volunteer Board of Directors. 52% of their budget comes from in-kind donations from their partners and the community.
Please join in this vital initiative. Your support will help pay for books, staff, and program materials, ensuring that all children, regardless of family income, have access to an engaging reading environment that empowers them to be lifelong readers.
