Charity Event: Gale to Build and Install 21 Little Free Libraries in Detroit Neighborhoods to Inspire Reading and Boost Literacy
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – May 15, 2023
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What: |
Gale, part of Cengage Group, in partnership with Brilliant Detroit and Little Free Library, will be hosting a charity event where its employees will be building 21 Little Free Libraries that will be installed in high-need neighborhoods across Detroit. Each little library will be stocked with a variety of books – donated by Gale and their employees – for children and adults to inspire a lifelong love of reading. We invite local media outlets to come and cover the event.
The Little Free Libraries will include diverse, award-winning and bestselling youth large print books donated by Thorndike Press, Gale’s large print publisher. Youth large print makes reading more accessible for developing readers and is proven to increase decoding and comprehension. A Little Free Library is a “take a book, return a book” free book-sharing exchange. They come in many shapes and sizes, but the most common version is a small wooden box of books, that are often built by supporters or volunteers – with their own unique, personal touch. Little Free Library book-sharing boxes provide 24/7 access to books in areas where books are scarce to encourage a love of reading. |
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When: |
Thursday, May 18, 2023 |
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Where: |
Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center |
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400 Renaissance Dr., Columbus Ballroom-4th floor, Detroit, MI 48243 |
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Why: |
With Detroit’s literacy rates lower than the national average, Gale hopes that placing Little Free Libraries throughout the area will help improve these rates and give children and adults access to free books as well as inspire a lifelong love of reading. The partnership has a concentrated focus on providing young readers with access to youth large print books because research shows that large print text can improve reading confidence and skill level in students. A recent study conducted by Project Tomorrow®, an education nonprofit, indicates that students in grades 3-12 who read large print books developed stronger reading skills, felt more comfortable reading, and adopted new, positive reading mindsets. |
NOTE TO REPORTERS: Gale, Brilliant Detroit and Little Free Library invite you to come and cover this special event. Interviews in English and Spanish can be accommodated. Unable to attend the event? Post-event b-roll and photos will be available and shared with you after the event is over via a link in the post-event news release that Gale will issue.
About Cengage Group and Gale
Cengage Group, an education technology company serving millions of learners in 165 countries, advances the way students learn through quality, digital experiences. The company currently serves the K-12, higher education, professional, library, English language teaching and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, part of Cengage Group, provides libraries with original and curated content, as well as the modern research tools and technology that are crucial in connecting libraries to learning, and learners to libraries. For more than 65 years, Gale has partnered with libraries around the world to empower the discovery of knowledge and insights – where, when and how people need it. Gale has 500 employees globally with its main operations in Farmington Hills, Michigan. For more information, please visit www.gale.com.
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About Brilliant Detroit
Established in 2015, Brilliant Detroit provides a radically new approach to kindergarten readiness in neighborhoods and creates a unique delivery model for early childhood development by using underutilized housing stock to create early child and family centers in neighborhoods. Brilliant Detroit homes – complete with signature orange-colored front doors – provide holistic services for children ages 0-8 predicated on evidence-based programs around health, family support and education. The organization was born to create kid success neighborhoods. In each location, neighbors come together for fellowship, activities and learning to assure school readiness and provide needed support for families. For more information, visit: brilliantdetroit.org.
About Little Free Library
Little Free Library® (LFL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that builds community, inspires readers and expands book access for all through a global network of volunteer-led Little Free Libraries. There are more than 160,000 registered Little Free Library book-sharing boxes worldwide in all 50 states, 120 countries and seven continents. Through them, over 300 million books have been shared since 2009. LFL received the 2020 World Literacy Award as well as honors from the Library of Congress, National Book Foundation and others. The organization grants Little Free Libraries full of books to underserved areas through its Impact Library and Indigenous Library Programs and champions diverse books through its Read in Color initiative. To learn more, visit LittleFreeLibrary.org.
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