Reading Partners Cynthia Graham Hurd book drive
Tuesday, June 27, 2017

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Reading Partners of Charleston and the Charleston County Public Library along with Live5 News, Wells Fargo and Mellow Mushroom are teaming up for a month-long book drive in July to collect new and gently used children’s books in Charleston area communities for distribution through the Reading Partners’ network of tutors working in local schools with students needing to improve their literacy and reading levels. 

The books will help the students build a love for reading by having their own at-home libraries.

“Reading Partners supplements in-school tutoring with a ‘take reading home’ component, which the book drive will directly impact. Each student enrolled in Reading Partners brings home more than 30 books per year,” said Reading Partners Board Chairman Richard Star. “This is a practice that will further foster a love of reading in students, their siblings, and the rest of the family.”

Donate, donate, donate! Residents are urged to drop off new or gently used children’s books for students in kindergarten through fifth grade at six Charleston County Public Library locations.

Drop off points are located at six Charleston County Public Library’s branch libraries:

Dorchester Road Regional Library
6325 Dorchester Road, North Charleston, 843-552-6466

Hurd/St. Andrews Regional Library
1735 N. Woodmere Drive, Charleston, 843-766-2546

John’s Island Regional Library
3531 Maybank Highway, John’s Island, 843-559-1945

Main Library
68 Calhoun Street, Charleston, 843-805-6930

Mt. Pleasant Regional Library
1133 Mathis Ferry Road, Mt. Pleasant, 843-849-6161

Otranto Road Regional Library
2261 Otranto Road, North Charleston, 843-572-4094

Drop off points at four Mellow Mushroom locations:

Mellow Mushroom North Charleston
4855 Tanger Outlet Blvd., North Charleston

Mellow Mushroom Summerville
1306 North Main St., Summerville

Mellow Mushroom West Ashley
19 Magnolia Rd., Charleston

Mellow Mushroom Charleston
309 King St., Charleston


About the Cynthia Graham Hurd Foundation
Cynthia Graham Hurd was one of the Mother Emanuel Nine – the church members killed during a prayer service in June 2015. Cynthia was also a lifelong Charleston resident and 31-year librarian with Charleston County Public Library. The Cynthia Graham Hurd Foundation for Literacy and Civic Engagement was established to continue Cynthia’s work and legacy of engaging the community through her love and appreciation for reading. As a librarian, Cynthia stirred a passion for reading across generations and literary genres. The Foundation works the way Cynthia lived her life by advocating for the expansion of literacy and availability of books to everyone.
 
About Reading Partners
Reading Partners empowers students to succeed in reading and in life by engaging community volunteers to provide one-on-one tutoring. Thanks to the dedication of more than 14,000 volunteer tutors in Charleston, Charlotte and across the nation, the national non-profit Reading Partners organization provides one-on-one tutoring to more than 10,000 students to help bring them up to their reading level – making an important shift from learning to read to reading to learn. Reading Partners has a proven track record of success. For more information, visit readingpartners.org, or connect via LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.