LANSING – As Michigan's families and students prepare for the upcoming school year to kick off, State Representative Richard LeBlanc (D-Westland) today encouraged Westland residents to embrace the back-to-school spirit and donate extra books to the Michigan Friends of Education.
"All of Michigan's residents, young and old, should have the opportunity to open up a good book and enjoy the experience of reading," LeBlanc said. "For our children, reading instills valuable skills which will help pave the way for their success. For adults, reading stimulates the imagination and is critical to exercising the mind. Many of Michigan's residents do not have the resources available where they can go out and purchase a book, and the Michigan Friends of Education is a great program that puts books into people's hands."
The Michigan Friends is an affiliate of the Library of Michigan and is recognized as an important part of the state's literacy and book program. They provide books at no cost to a wide variety of social organizations that serve the needy, including disadvantaged readers, the ill, the incarcerated, senior citizens and the handicapped.
Michigan Friends of Education is a non-profit organization and acts as a central warehouse which allows publishers to make donations, while at the same time serving hundreds of worthwhile and qualified nonprofit organizations and thousands of needy children and adults every year.
LeBlanc added that the Michigan Friends of Education serve individuals in 38 counties across the state and also are involved with many programs, including special education, adult education, literacy and summer reading programs, foster care, nursing homes, shelters for the abused and homeless, Head Start, Toys for Tots, the Salvation Army, family independence agencies and correctional facilities.
For more information on the Michigan Friends of Education program or to learn about distribution points of where you can donate off books, please call (800) 846-8878 or visit www.mifriends.org/.