Lapeer area families love to read.
Kids and their parents flocked to Zemmer Middle School in Lapeer April 12 for the launch of the Caught You Reading program and Rob’s Books at Lapeer Community Schools. Many of the more than 250 people who attended were actually caught in the act of reading during the event, as they eagerly perused an irresistible array of books made available by event sponsors.
Rob’s Books is the brainchild of Robert and Tami Erickson. It’s a foundation they established to fund books for the schools’ libraries. They are working with area organizations and partnering with Lapeer Community Schools to make it happen.
The foundation is named in memory of Tami’s son, Spc. Rob Hornbeck, who was tragically killed in an accident after returning from Iraq almost five years ago. Rob was a 2001 Lapeer East graduate, and an avid reader. Stepdad Bob Erickson describes Rob, “A really bright kid — just loved to read.”
The Ericksons hope that through Rob’s Books, “fun, new, relevant to the curriculum, fiction books” will be available to kids.
The Caught You Reading event also kicked off an exciting new program at Lapeer Community Schools to help “grow” our stock of classroom and library books. It’s an innovative online fundraising program called Book Boosters. In partnership with Perma-Bound Books, the District has created a list of titles our libraries need. Many school districts such as ours have been forced to cut back even on essential purchases such as new books. Book Boosters is one way we can fill that gap, helping to improve reading scores and literacy while fostering the joy of reading!
In contrast to other programs, with Book Boosters, 100% of contributions go toward buying books and other materials from Perma-Bound. Many of these books are in Perma-Bound’s patented binding, guaranteed to last over a lifetime of rough use, with an unconditional replacement guarantee.
Giving is easy. Simply log on to http://www.book-boosters.com/caughtyoureading and contribute any amount (of $10 or greater) to the Caught You Reading campaign (in conjunction with Rob’s Books) through Perma-Bound's secure system by Visa® or MasterCard®.
All proceeds will go directly toward the Book Boosters goal. As an added bonus, you can keep track of our fundraising progress in real time using the Book-O-Meter; the stack of books that gets filled in higher and higher as we get closer to our goal—on the web page.
SPECIAL NOTE: MAKE SURE YOUR STUDENT’S NAME AND SCHOOL IS LISTED IN THE COMMENTS/SPECIAL REQUESTS SECTION AS PART OF EACH ELECTRONIC DONATION. THIS WILL MAKE YOUR CHILD ELIGIBLE FOR PRIZES AND SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR THEIR PROGRAM PARTICIPATION.
There are no phone calls to make, no items to buy, and no forms for you or your child to fill out. And you can rest easy knowing that ALL of your contribution goes toward books and educational material for Lapeer Community Schools. Please join us to make Book Boosters a success!
Photo courtesy The County Press
Photo captions:
Top: Marilee Greene of Perma-Bound was one of the sponsoring hosts at the April 12 Caught You Reading event at Zemmer Middle School. Kids and adults checked out the books and posters, and many took one home with them.
Bottom: Sixth and seventh graders under the direction of theater arts teacher Amber Dillard entertained students and their parents with dramatic storytelling, including such favorites as “The Tortoise and the Hare.”
