A book drive at Cayman Prep & High School has collected an impressive 1,725+ books for LIFE (Literacy is for Everyone).

Organised by the Key Club at the high school and led by the Student Council at the primary school, students were responsible for promoting this large event on campus as well as assisting with the book drive logistics. Books collected are donated to LIFE’s Classroom Library Project, which supplements classroom libraries in the public school system.

“Classroom libraries are vital to engaging children in reading daily, yet many primary schools lack the resources to stock classroom libraries,” says Marilyn Conolly, Executive Director of LIFE. “One of our literacy initiatives is to partner with the Ministry of Education to dramatically improve the quality of classroom libraries in public schools across Cayman.”

Through book drives and cash donations, the aim for every classroom is a minimum of 15 books per child.

“We have set ourselves a goal of 10,000 books per year,” explains Conolly. “We are extremely grateful to Cayman Prep for their substantial contribution and would like to thank the Key Club, Student Council, and all contributing Prep families for their stellar efforts. We would also like to encourage other oganisations, especially in the corporate sector, to arrange a book drive of their own. It costs nothing to put together and is an easy way for people to get involved.”

The time and energy invested in book drives pays dividends in the classroom where the books are well received by both teachers and students.

In addition to the provision of classroom libraries, LIFE also runs a number of programmes aimed at supporting literacy in Cayman’s public school system. These include paired reading, intervention based education support and parent workshops. To donate or volunteer, visit www.life.org.ky or email i[email protected]