Bring It Book Drive Continues Through October

The University of Memphis' Athletic Department has teamed up with Memphis City Schools and The Booksellers at Laurelwood for a "Bring It" Book Drive, which will run Oct. 15-31. Donors may give new or gently used books suitable for children in grades K-8. The goal is to collect 10,000 books.

All books collected will be donated to seven Memphis City Schools deemed "Innovation Zone" schools. These are schools with limited resources that are identified as needing help to succeed at a higher level. They include Hamilton Middle, Magnolia Elementary, Fairley Elementary, Geeter Middle, Ford Road Elementary, Chickasaw Middle, and Lucie E. Campbell Elementary.

Books can be dropped off at two sites: the Athletic Ticket Office, located in the Penny Hardaway Hall of Fame at 570 Normal Ave., and at Booksellers at Laurelwood at 387 Perkins Extended. The store will provide a 20 percent discount on any book purchased specifically for the book drive.

"Our student-athletes have done an incredible job of giving back to the Memphis community this past year with over 2,500 service hours," said Kristin Rusboldt, coordinator of Student-Athlete Development at the U of M. "Last year, at some of our athletic events, they collected over 1,000 books. This year, we wanted to do so much more.

"We are really excited about this goal. We think that, with the help of the Memphis community, we can collect 10,000 books, maybe even more. We all have books sitting around, and this is a great way to clear some shelf space and help a great cause." Miska Clay Bibbs, coordinator of Community and Volunteer Relations for Memphis City Schools, also expressed appreciation for the partnership with the PAWS (Preparing Athletes for Winning Success) program. "The partnership between the University of Memphis Athletic Department and Memphis City Schools is a great example of the kind of community involvement that helps push the future leaders of Memphis forward," said Bibbs.

Details are available from Kristin Rusboldt at 901-678-2388 or khopkins@memphis.edu.