County school students to benefit from book donation

Henry County schools are once again the recipient of new books, courtesy of a donation from the Virginia Education Foundation.
In spring 2020, the division received a donation of 11,366 books. This spring, the division received a second donation of 13,222 books.

The high-quality books will be distributed amongst the nine elementary, two middle, and two high schools in the school division. The retail value of these donated books is nearly $360,000. 
The partnership between Henry County Public Schools (HCPS) and the Virginia Education Foundation (VEF) began with a phone call from a county school employee to VEF in the fall of 2019.  

“George Beker, VEF’s Founder and Director, has a passion to give away over a hundred thousand books annually and get them into the hands of students across Virginia.  He patiently guided the process for ensuring Henry County would receive a donation of over 11,000 books in the spring of 2020 to support literacy instruction. 
“VEF’s commitment to Henry County did not stop there. In January 2021, Beker reached out to share the news that students in Henry County would be the recipients of another large donation of books in the spring of 2021. Students and teachers have benefitted from VEF’s generous donations of nearly 25,000 books that have encouraged reading for pleasure and provided materials for teachers when planning literacy instruction. We are very appreciative of the support gifted by the Virginia Education Foundation,” said Denise Fultz, curriculum coordinator for the county school division.
“The donated books are creating opportunities for students to grow as lifelong readers while adding variety to the books we have in our classrooms. Students are using the books for guided reading, read alouds, and Sustained Silent Reading,” said Machell Wells, reading specialist at Meadow View Elementary School.
The Virginia Education Foundation (www.v-e-f.org) gives selected public school divisions in Virginia more than 100,000 books annually to enhance scholastic instruction and reading skills. VEF’s mission is to provide grants and assistance to Virginia Title I public schools and qualifying organizations in Virginia that serve the educational needs of low-income children as well as eligible students with disabilities. Title I public schools and organizations funded or supported by VEF promote and enhance children’s literacy, school readiness, grade level reading, and school success for primarily low-income children and youth in Virginia.