Goodwill and City Offer Books to Teachers

Bookworks program brings 6,400 books to local schools and students

From The City of Apopka

The City of Apopka and Goodwill Industries of Central Florida invite local school teachers to come out Friday and Monday to receive free reading books for their classrooms.

The gently used books donated through Goodwill’s Bookworks program will be available from 2 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21, and Monday, Oct. 24, at the Fran Carlton Center, 11 N. Forest Ave. in Apopka. Teachers can choose up to 50 books per classroom. Representatives from area preschools also are invited.

The books are in good condition and suitable for all elementary school reading levels. Some are accelerated reading books. Many also are ideal for preschool and kindergarten ages.

Bring a teacher identification and boxes or bags to carry the books. For questions and additional information call (407) 703-1819.

The books are among 6,400 that were donated from around Central Florida. All of those books were cleaned and sorted by volunteers in Apopka on Tuesday for Goodwill’s Bookworks reading program. Representatives for Bookworks then selected the books most suitable for preschool through third grade. The rest are now available to teachers and preschools on Friday and Monday before they are returned to Goodwill for use throughout Central Florida.

Goodwill’s Bookworks program enlists volunteers who visit local elementary schools and preschool centers throughout the school year to read to children. Each child is provided with a book to keep at home and potentially start their own personal reading library. Other books will be offered to elementary teachers to have for classroom libraries.

Bookworks is designed to spark a lifelong love for reading in young children. That helps them throughout their school education and promotes employability later in life. The City of Apopka proudly supports Goodwill efforts to help Apopka area schools.

National statistics show that children in low-income families tend to have two or fewer age-appropriate books at home. This program promotes literacy by putting high-quality books in the hands of children who need them most. It's also a great way for parents to help their children learn to read, practice words and expand their minds at home.