Marion school gets $6,000 grant for library

Today, the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries announced that 158 school libraries are being awarded $851,524 in grants for 2009. The schools receive grants of up to $6,000 to expand, update and diversify their library book collections.

Johnaking Middle School Media Center receives a $6,000 award from the foundation. The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries was founded in 2002 as a fund of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region.

Since its inception, the Laura Bush Foundation has awarded more than $6.2 million to 1,245 schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition to these yearly grants, the Foundation has also awarded more than $4.7 million to school libraries in the Gulf Coast region to rebuild their library book collections that were lost or destroyed by hurricanes or storms.

The grant application process is administered by The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region with guidance from The Laura Bush Foundation’s Advisory Committee. The grants are funded through generous donations to the endowment from individuals, corporations and foundations.

The mission of the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries is to support the education of our nation’s children by providing funds to update, extend and diversify the book and print collections of America’s school libraries. Further information is available at http://www.laurabushfoundation.org .