Volunteers, Donors, and Advocates:
The amount of support that the Spark Foundation has received from all of you since the inception of this organization is incredible. What started as a simple idea to get more books in the hands of kids who need them has grown into a truly impactful cause in our community. Thank you for all of your support on this journey!
I’m really excited to give all of you an update on some of our big milestones lately. Over the summer we obtained a new sponsorship from Southern Glazer’s of Urbandale, Iowa that has been critical in allowing Spark to build up our stock of books. In addition to developing new partnerships, Spark purchased over 1,400 assorted Disney books and were able to distribute over 1,000 of them through various community events and our "Welcome to School” gift bags delivered to Monroe’s incoming kindergarten class.
The school year is starting off strong, with solid relationships at Monroe, Moulton, and River Woods elementary schools. Volunteers are already active in the schools reading books to the students. This September, volunteers read to students and held the school year’s first Love to Read book fair at Monroe. In October, volunteers are looking forward to reading at both Moulton and River Woods elementary schools. I’m really excited to share that we recently applied for and received a $5,000 grant from Wells Fargo for our Love to Read project. These funds will allow Spark to hold two no-cost book fairs for the 3rd grade students at Moulton elementary. Students will come in and select five books of their choice, at no cost to them. These book fairs will take place before winter and summer breaks, to ensure students have reading material prior to the school year gaps. Planning the fairs at those times helps reduce the reading loss that occurs during school breaks, often a result of limited access to literature. If you’re interested in seeing what the book fairs are like, check out the recent spotlight on Spark Foundation by WHO TV. I was honored to be interviewed and share our story with the larger community.
All of this progress could not be done without you. I’m so grateful for your generosity, whether that’s via your volunteer time, monetary donations, or your advocacy and support. We continue to have volunteer opportunities, and I thank all of you in advance for your continued involvement with the Spark Foundation.
-Akil Clark, Founder