Amelia Island Book Festival Press Release
Submitted by Susan Siegmund, Media Contact
The Amelia Island Book Festival has been chosen by Target to receive a grant of $2000 to help support the 2014 Festival’s Author Link program. This grant will purchase 200 books for second grade students to call their own at Yulee Primary School.
Author Link is part of the Festival’s “Authors in Schools” program, which sends an author into every Nassau County public school to meet with students and their teachers. These authors spend most of the day at schools with their age-appropriate books, talking about how the book was written, discussing the joys of reading and responding to student questions.
The Festival’s goal is to “link” each student with an author by providing them with their own autographed copy of the book. Students are encouraged to read the book at home with family members and by themselves and report back to the class on their reading experience.
Since 1946 Target has given 5 percent of its profit to local communities. Target employees also give volunteer hours to the projects funded by Target. The more than 1700 Target stores nationwide partner with organizations like the Amelia Island Book Festival to meet the needs of communities by inspiring young minds and offering unique educational experiences such as Authors in Schools and Author Link.
Target and the Amelia Island Book Festival agree – reading encourages more reading and a successful reading experience leads to enhanced academic performance.
Additional Author Link funds are being sought to allow the program to buy books for every public school in Nassau County. Contact www.ameliaislandbookfestival.com to contribute.
The 2014 Amelia Island Book Festival will be held February 22, at the Atlantic Avenue Recreation Center in Fernandina Beach. Admission is free.
August 24, 2013 5:50 p.m.