Savannah Standard

Brock Elementary School has been selected as one of 300 schools across 36 states to receive a $5,000 grant from the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries. This year, the foundation awarded a total of $1.5 million in library grants.

“Congratulations to the 2023 Laura Bush Foundation Grant Recipients! I am thrilled that school librarians across the country will soon be able to update their library collections," said Mrs. Laura Bush. Kathy Schmidt, Library Media Technology Specialist at Brock Elementary, expressed her excitement: “I am so excited to receive this grant. We will use the grant money to update our library collection at Brock Elementary with more diverse books that better reflect our student population."

Mrs. Bush also shared her 2023 summer reading list during the annual Laura Bush Book Club event, part of the Engage at the Bush Center series presented by NexPoint and supported by H-E-B. The list includes recommendations for young readers through middle schoolers and features both classic and new releases like "The Little House" and "The Loud Librarian," illustrated by Dallas artist Erika Lynne Jones.

“This year's summer reading list includes an old favorite, Charlotte's Web, which I remember reading to my daughters when they were little," Mrs. Bush stated. She emphasized the importance of reading with children: “As a former teacher and librarian, I know that the most important thing parents and caregivers can do for their children is to read to them."

Applications for grants for the 2023-2024 school year will open later this year. More information is available on laurabushfoundation.org.

The Laura Bush Foundation aims to support school libraries with significant needs, fostering a love of reading among students. Since its founding in 2002, it has distributed $21 million in grants to over 3,600 schools nationwide.

Supported by The Allstate Foundation, The George W. Bush Institute's Education and Opportunity work manages the foundation as a restricted fund at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas.