Henning Public School library through the Pages for a Purpose book campaign has been awarded for the second year in a row the Children’s Book Project Grant from the Pilcrow Foundation. 

The Henning School Library has received 66 books with a total value of $1,201.10.  An additional 21 books valued at  $399.51 were donated by Mr. Hal Berenson and Mrs. Laura Acherman, of Colorado (shared household), and pertains to the subjects of math and science.  Drs. Bill Strawbridge & Meg Wallhagen, of California (shared household), donated 16 books related to health and wellness. An anonymous donor through the Pilcrow Foundation donated two books from Syncretic Press and shared a quote, “all the world’s children are our children.” 

As part of this grant, Jim and Shari Haberer and TNT Repair of Henning donated $400.  Each book that was donated has a bookplate on the inside of the book telling who donated the book. The books that were donated are pictured with this article. The Henning Public Library along with all the patrons of the library are extremely grateful for these wonderful new books. 

With the generous support of these wonderful donors, the children of Henning School will have the ability to enjoy new hardcover books that will last for years to come. The illustrations on the covers are inviting and colorful, drawing the reader to pick up the book and see what the story is inside.  

The Pilcrow Foundation “provides new, quality, hardcover children’s books to rural public libraries across the United States.”  

“The Pilcrow Foundation was founded in 2013 to continue the work of the Libri Foundation.” As it states in their bio, “We recognize the importance of public libraries in rural communities. Libraries are often the center of the community, where people come together to learn and share ideas. Providing quality children’s books to rural public libraries ensures an opportunity for active engagement within the community and lifelong learning.  Literacy is the greatest gift we can give our children. The public library is where we can start.” 

To sum up what Pages for a Purpose book campaign drive is all about is best said in a quote by Neil Gaiman, “ the simplest way to make sure that we raise literate children is to teach them to read, and to show them that reading is a pleasurable activity.  And that means, at its simplest, finding books that they enjoy, giving them access to those books,  and letting them read them.”