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T’lisalagi’lakw School in Alert Bay to receive $10,000 to buy books

The funds are apart of Indigo Love of Reading’s Giving Tuesday campaign
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BRIAN SVANVIK PHOTO A photo of T’lisalagi’lakw School students from 2015, featured on ‘Namgis First Nation website (www.namgis.bc.ca).

T’lisalagi’lakw School in Alert Bay will be able to go on a special shopping trip in the new year, as they have been selected as one of 50 schools across Canada to receive a donation from The Indigo Love of Reading Foundation.

The donation is apart of Giving Tuesday, a global movement for giving and volunteering that comes after Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

For this year’s Giving Tuesday, The Indigo Love of Reading Foundation announced it will be providing a total of $500,000, which is the equivalent of 50,000 books, to 50 high-needs elementary schools across Canada.

The schools were selected from the Foundation’s 2017 Literacy Fund grant applications.

In-mid January T’lisalagi’lakw School will receive a $10,000 dollar e-gift card they can use at Indigo, Chapters, or Coles, where they will also receive a 30% discount on all books purchased with these funds.

Gloria Alfred, Acting Principal of T’lisalagi’lakw School said she was excited to hear the news.

“You would not believe the energy I had after I got the phone call from them,” said Alfred, adding “$10,000 is so much money to give out for books and we are so tickled!”

She said the school library needed replenishing, but they also plan on purchasing books that can be given out to students for prizes.

“Our teachers are going to write a list of books they would like and get together and do it that way and all of the teachers are asking students what kind of books they would like and what they would like to see in the library - it’s a whole group effort,” said Alfred.

“The schools that are being awarded these funds have shown tremendous dedication to literacy in their communities,” said aid Ariel Siller, Executive Director of the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation.

“Providing access to engaging and relevant books is one of the best ways we can inspire a love of reading in children and help them develop the literacy skills that are critical for educational success,” said Siller, adding“For a large number of Canadian children, school libraries are their only access point to books, and these school libraries are severely underfunded.”

The Love of Reading Foundation has committed $26 million to more than 3,000 high-needs elementary schools, benefiting over 900,000 children across Canada since the Foundation’s inception in 2004.