The Women of Fearrington has granted the Chatham Education Foundation $2,500 to expand its Books on Break program to the Nature Trail–an underserved residential community in which close to 100% of the families qualify for free or reduced lunch. The students in the neighborhood attend North Chatham Elementary (NCE), but as the majority of students at NCE do not qualify for free or reduced lunch, CEF brought the program directly to the students living in this neighborhood.
Since 2016, CEF has hosted free book fairs called Books on Break at Chatham County schools in low-income communities. Depending on the grade level, students get to pick out and take home 3 to 5 books each to keep forever. Money to purchase the books comes from individual donations and grants.
The Women of Fearrington grant will allow CEF to purchase books written in English, along with a selection of bilingual (English/Spanish) books, so that the students can read with their families who primarily speak Spanish.
The goal of Books on Break is to provide books for students to read over the summer as children can lose up to three months of reading skills when they go the whole summer without reading. Just 15-20 minutes of reading a day can make a real difference in counteracting learning loss. “The added benefit of giving away books at the Nature Trail,” said Mary Lou Huisking, CEF’s board chair, “is that the children live in a close-knit community and will be able to share books over the summer. Suddenly the five books they selected become 10, 15 or 20!”
The Women of Fearrington is a group of Fearrington Village and Galloway Ridge residents with a mission to enrich the lives of its members socially, culturally, and intellectually and to help serve the needs of the women and children of Chatham County. Each year, the group awards grants that focus on women and/or children in Chatham County.
