PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – The Local 10 Big Book Drive is going three years strong. Since we launched the book drive as an offshoot of our My Future, My Choice initiative, 125,000 books have been collected.
My Future, My Choice is a multi-faceted, multi-year station initiative to address youth gun violence and help pave a path to solutions.
The books are distributed to children in schools across South Florida as well as nonprofits that serve children in under resourced areas. The Big Book Drive is another component of our commitment to spread a positive message to our youth. They can choose their future and achieve their goals.
- Research shows that an alarming number of kids who fail to graduate high school were poor third grade readers.
- Low-income students lose more than two months in reading achievement over the summer.
- In middle-income neighborhoods, the ratio of books per child is 13-to-1, while in low-income neighborhoods, the ratio is one book for every 300 children.
There is good news.
- Research also indicates the most successful way to improve the reading achievement of low-income children is to increase their access to print.
From April 30 through May 25, Local 10 is joining forces with Miami-Dade County and Broward County Public Libraries, along with Vera Cadillac, Buick and GMC, to collect new books for kids.
The following is a list of drop-off locations near you, along with a suggested list of age-appropriate books you can donate. Make sure you scroll all the way down to see all the participating library branches for the Local 10 "My Future, My Choice" Big Book Drive.
Broward County
*YOU CAN DROP OFF YOUR NEW BOOK DONATION AT ANY OF THE 37 BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY LOCATIONS. For your convenience, below is a list of some of the participating branches.
1. Stirling Road – Hollywood
3150 Stirling Road
954-357-7550
2. South Regional/Broward College – Pembroke Pines
7300 Pines Blvd.
954-201-8825
3. Pembroke Pines/Walter C. Young – Pembroke Pines
955 NW 129 Avenue
954-357-6750
4. Weston
4205 Bonaventure Blvd.
954-357-5420
5. West Regional – Plantation
8601 West Broward Blvd.
954-765-1560
6. Sunrise Dan Pearl – Sunrise
10500 West Oakland Park Blvd.
954-357-7440
7. Nova Southeastern University – Fort Lauderdale
3100 Ray Ferrero, Jr. Blvd.
954-262-5477
8. Imperial Point – Fort Lauderdale
5985 North Federal Highway
954-357-6530
9. Northwest Regional Library –Coral Springs
3151 University Drive
954-357-7990
10. African American Research Library & Cultural Center – Fort Lauderdale
2650 Sistrunk Blvd.
954-357-6282
Miami-Dade County
1. Miami Springs Branch
401 Westward Drive
305-805-3811
2. Main Library – Downtown
101 West Flagler Street
305-375-2665
3. Miami Beach Regional
227 22nd Street
305-535-4219
4. Coral Gables Branch
3443 Segovia Street
305-442-8706
5. South Dade Regional- Cutler Bay
10750 SW 211 Street
305-233-8140
6. West Dade Regional
9445 Coral Way (SW 24 Street)
305-553-1134
7. North Dade Regional – Miami Gardens
2455 NW 183rd Street
305-625-6424
8. West Kendall Regional
10201 Hammocks Blvd.
305-385-7135
9. Northeast Dade – Aventura Branch
2930 Aventura Blvd.
305-931-5512
10. Pinecrest Branch
5835 SW 111 Street
305-668-4571
Monroe County
*YOU CAN DROP OFF YOUR NEW BOOK DONATION AT ANY MONROE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY LOCATIONS.
Local 10 News anchors Todd Tongen and Neki Mohan will hop aboard a yellow school bus on Wednesday, June 6, to collect your donations. The books will be sorted and distributed to schools and programs serving children before the summer break and throughout the summer.
We want to fill that bus from floor to ceiling. Let's make it happen and let's make a difference for kids who need it most.
For more information about the South Florida library system and ongoing, free reading activities for kids at a branch near you:
· In Miami-Dade County, visit mdpls.org
· In Broward County, visit Broward.org/library.
