Campaign Seeks Funds for Books

“Books Brighten Your Life,” a campaign to help Los Angeles Unified School District libraries obtain books and other instructional materials, is now underway at schools throughout the city.

For the third consecutive year, the Color Me Bright Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting reading and cultural experiences for Los Angeles students, will match funds raised by the top schools in the program.

“The more kids read, the more power they have,” said Michelle Cole, a co-founder of Color Me Bright. “You can have a million computers in the schools, but libraries are still very important and kids still need to read.”

Color Me Bright held a benefit luncheon Sunday in West Los Angeles to raise funds to match money raised by the schools.

Only the schools that raise the most money will receive direct financial help from the organization. The dollar amounts and number of schools that will receive assistance have yet to be determined, Cole said.

All contributors of $20 or more will be acknowledged with a special book plate placed in books purchased with funds raised through the campaign. The bookplates will include the donor’s name and the name of a student in whose name the book has been given.

An essay contest on the subject “How I Learned to Love Reading,” with winners to be named from elementary, middle and high school levels, is also part of the program.

The campaign will end Nov. 20.

For more information, call the school district’s Library Services office, (213) 625-6486.