HUNDREDS OF NJ's FOSTER CHILDREN TO RECEIVE THE GIFT OF READING

Bridge of Books Foundation has joined with New Jersey’s Division of Children and Family Services to support the hundreds of children in New Jersey’s Foster Care system who will begin new lives in permanent loving homes this year by taking part in National Adoption Day celebrations across the State on November 21. 800 children adopted out of Foster Care in New Jersey will receive a colorful tote bag of new, age-appropriate books from Bridge of Books Foundation to begin their own family library.

“This program would not have been possible without very generous gifts from the Charles LaFitte Foundation, Charles Edison Foundation, AIG, PSEG, New Jersey Natural Gas and Monmouth University, as well as individual gifts from our supporters,” said Bridge of Books Foundation Founder and Executive Director Abigail Daly. “Their financial support meant that we could purchase new books for all of these children, providing them with a start to their new family libraries. We’ve even been able to put together extra bins of books for their siblings to choose from! Every child deserves books in their home. Books have the power to change lives - providing an understanding of the world, encouraging imagination and promoting dreams.”

Part of a collective effort to raise awareness of the 100,000 children across the nation in Foster Care waiting for permanent loving homes, National Adoption Day has made the dreams of nearly 54,000 children come true. Events all over the country will celebrate the adoption of these children, some of whom wait in Foster Care for four years or more for a “forever family. “

Each of New Jersey’s 21 counties will hold events honoring these adoptive families over the next four weeks. Some events will take place in the Courthouses following official adoption ceremonies, and some events will be part of a commmunity wide celebration at firehouses, schools and museums. Hudson County will hold a very special celebration at the Liberty Science Center on November 22 and will include an adoption resource fair and breakfast for all invited guests. Monmouth County will celebrate by holding a carnival at Monmouth University on Decvember 1. “Literacy is the heart and soul of our mission as educators, and we are proud to partner with the Bridge of Books Foundation on this transformative initiative,” said Monmouth University president Paul R. Brown.

As part of the My Little Library Program, Bridge of Books Foundation worked with Rider University’s School of Education to create a Parent Guide To Reading, which was enclosed in each child’s My Little Library tote bag. The pamphlet is a step-by- step guide which encourages parents to make a commitment to read every day with their child. The pamphlet suggests questions to ask before during and after reading and gives parents prompts to keep their children engaged. “If kids see that their parents are enjoying reading, they’ll develop a love of books themselves,” said Abigail Daly. “It’s all about giving kids and their parents the tools they need to create a family of lifelong learners.” Susan Carbonaro, Director of Assessment and Special Projects at Rider University agrees. “Literacy is all around us and since parents are their children’s first teachers, it is up to them to model a lifelong love of reading,” said Carbonaro.

Founded in 2003, the mission of the Bridge of Books Foundation is to provide an ongoing source of books to underprivileged and at-risk children throughout New Jersey in order to support literacy skills and to encourage a love of reading. So far in 2015, over 70,000 books have been donated to children across the state, taking the grand total of books donated to over 500,000 over the last eleven years.

For more information, or to support the Bridge of Books Foundation, contact Abigail Daly, at 732-291-4755 or go to www.bridgeofbooksfoundation.org.