PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Local 10 wants all kids in South Florida to experience the joy and benefit of reading. It's why we're having our second annual "My Future, My Choice" Big Book Drive.
"My Future, My Choice" is a multi-faceted, multi-year station initiative to address youth gun violence and help pave a path to solutions and success.
Local 10 has held two town hall meetings, with the third scheduled for Friday, June 2, and aired editorials, public service announcements and news stories to address the topic.
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 10 through May 19, 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 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 - 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 – Central Miami-Dade
401 Westward Drive
305-805-3811
2. Main Library – Downtown
101 West Flagler Street
305-375-2665
3. Little River – Northeast Miami-Dade
160 NE 79th Street
305-751-8689
4. Lemon City – Northeast Miami-Dade
430 NE 61 Street
305-757-0662
5. California Club – North Miami- Dade
700 Ives Dairy Road
305-770-3161
6. Golden Glades – North Miami-Dade
100 NE 166 Street
305-787-1544
7. North Dade Regional – North Miami-Dade
2455 NW 183rd Street
305-625-6424
8. Coral Reef – South Miami-Dade
9211 Coral Reef Drive
305-233-8324
9. South Miami – South Miami-Dade
6000 Sunset Drive
305-667-6121
10. Kendale Lakes – Southwest Miami-Dade
15205 SW 88th Street
305-388-0326
11. Sunny Isles Beach –Southeast Miami-Dade
18070 Collins Avenue
305-682-0726
Suggested Book List:
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs
Curious George
Diary of A Wimpy Kid
Fancy Nancy
Green Eggs and Ham
Jumanji
Madeline
Olivia
The Cat In The Hat
The Going To Bed Book
The Lorax
The Tale of Peter The Rabbit
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Local 10 News anchors Todd Tongen and Neki Mohan will hop aboard a yellow school bus on Friday, May 19, to collect your donations. The books will be sorted and distributed to schools and programs serving children before the summer break.
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
