In 2014, The Laura Bush Foundation transitioned from the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region in Washington, D.C. In addition to the annual grants, the “Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative” in 2006 provided nearly $6.5 million to school libraries affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to rebuild book collections lost or destroyed in the storms. Since its inception in 2002, it has awarded over $14.3 million to more than 2,700 schools across the country. The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries provides grants of up to $7,000 to our Nation’s neediest schools so they can extend, update, and diversify the book and print collections in their libraries with the goal of encouraging students to develop a love of reading and learning. Therisanyo School in Gaborone, Botswana and Ella Du Plessis High School in Windhoek, Namibia each received $2,500 towards their school libraries. Bush announced the first ever international grants from the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries. These simple steps will help students build reading skills and keep them ready for the next school year.” said Mrs. “During the summer months to come, I encourage every student to read something every day and for our younger children, to read aloud, too. Bush read her children’s book, Our Great Big Backyard, and spoke about the importance of reading to a child’s success, both in and out of the classroom, and encouraged students to continue to read during the summer months. James Luna, author of two bilingual picture books, and Hena Khan, Pakistani-American author of Amina’s Voices, joined Mrs.

The Texas Book Festival’s Reading Rock Stars literacy program brings books to life for children in low-income schools by inviting authors and illustrators into classrooms with entertaining presentations that inspire students to read, write, and create. This year the program was hosted at Thomas Tolbert Elementary School, a school that received a grant from the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries in 2013.

Bush, who was one of the founders of the Texas Book Festival, announced the 2017 grant recipients while participating in the Texas Book Festival’s Reading Rock Stars literacy program. “As a former librarian, I know school libraries play an important role in improving student achievement, and with this grant, your librarian will make your library the perfect place for students to fall in love with reading.” “Congratulations to the schools and libraries that have been awarded a 2017 Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries grant!” said Mrs. Laura Bush announced that more than $930,000 is being distributed to 160 school libraries from 38 states across the country through the 2017 library grants from the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries.

Filemon vela middle school