Books to a better future land in Corio

CHILDREN learning at a Corio-based learning centre will be able to turn a new page in life before primary school thanks to a generous donation of 1,000 books.

Melbourne-based book charity 123Read2Me has turned its sights on Geelong by donating 1,000 kinder books and 500 books for babies to Northern Bay College’s Our Place Northern Bay, the first ever donation to the region.

123Read2Me founder Melina Shelley said it was the first time that her charity had donated to Geelong, a product of the organisation’s growth over the last decade.

“It has been great to partner with a school that believes in the future of these children and doing what they can with these resources,” Ms Shelley said.

“Hopefully these books will engage and inspire these kids, and as the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child.”

Ms Shelley said her charity targets disadvantaged schools to donate to using their Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) score, which considers the socioeconomic background of the students.

Northern Bay College ranks 2,144th in the country and is considered a disadvantaged school in that regard.

To keep donations going in Geelong, people can now dispose of old children’s books in a donations bin secured by Ms Shelley in Officeworks Waurn Ponds. Once donated, the books are transported to nearby schools and libraries.

“One of things with the donations bin is you need someone to pick up the books and we have enlisted the help of the Geelong Corio Bay Lions Club who were kind enough to transport the books to Our Place Northern Bay,” Ms Shelley said.

“Given we are still a relatively small operation, we strongly encourage anyone in need of books to reach out as we continue to grow.

“We have big plans to reach out to some of the other disadvantaged communities and schools in Victoria, but there are a limited number of hours in the day, and we’ll continue to grow slowly.”

123Read2Me has donated more than 500,000 books to children and schools across the state, particularly in Melbourne, with an estimated book value of $5 million to date.

If your community or school believes they could benefit from 123Read2Me’s operation, send an email to [email protected].