Books for the Black Belt Campaign Kicks Off at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama has begun the Books for the Alabama Black Belt campaign to collect books for area children Sept. 15-Nov. 15.

UA students, faculty and staff have the opportunity to help children in the state’s 12 Black Belt counties by donating books for their schools in this program, now in its fourth year.

The primary goal of the University’s campaign is to provide one book for each child in the Black Belt counties — more than 30,000 books.

Campaign sponsors include the College of Human Environmental Sciences, Community Service Center, Student Government Association and the University Center for Economic Development.

Donations of new or gently used classic and award-winning books frequently found on school reading lists for K-12 children will be accepted.  To donate books, contact the University Center for Economic Development at 205/348-7058.  For a complete list of needed books, go to the UCED Web site www.uced.ua.edu or call the office.

Alabama’s Black Belt includes some of the poorest counties in the country.  Along with high rates of poverty, declining populations and high unemployment, poor access to educational resources is a major concern for the future of K-12 students in this region, campaign organizers note. Counties in the Alabama Black Belt region include:  Bullock, Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Pickens, Perry, Sumter and Wilcox.

The book drive is open to all community members; financial contributions are also welcome and will go toward the purchase of books chosen by librarians of the Black Belt schools. Monetary donations should be made payable to The University of Alabama and mailed to the University Center for Economic Development, Box 870138, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487-0138.  The collected books will be delivered to the schools later this fall.