Johnston County Republican Women recently presented a collection of fiction and non-fiction books for adults and children to Harbor, Inc., a local agency which provides shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence. Those who come to the shelter often arrive with nothing, so access to quality literature can be a source of healing, relaxation, positivity, and learning.
Children are encouraged to take books with them when they leave, with the hope that if they fall in love with a book, they will fall in love with reading. Due to the overwhelming success of their book collection, JCRW has been able to replenish the library on a monthly basis since they first donated the libraries to the shelter last Fall. The club estimates the total donated over the past year to be 800 to 1,000 books.
Johnston County Republican Women is a part of the National Federation of Republican Women, which advocates for literacy and education on an ongoing basis. Over the past 50 years, NFRW and its members have donated thousands of books each year to libraries, schools, hospitals and other public institutions through the Mamie Eisenhower Library Project (MELP). Since 2002, Federation members have donated more than 300,000 dictionaries to school children through the Dictionary Project. The NFRW also works with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, and has designated September as Literacy Month.
Possessing the ability to read and write is fundamental. It makes learning possible, inevitable and infinite. Therefore, JCRW encourages all Johnston County citizens to foster literacy and education in our communities by donating books and by volunteering time to read to children. Contributed photo
