Salyersville Grade School students are excited to receive donated books from Kacie’s children’s book drive.
2018 Rogers Scholar Kacie Howard of Magoffin County loves to read.
Howard knows the importance of developing strong reading skills at an early age and she wants more school-age children to share her passion for reading.
A graduate of The Center for Rural Development’s Rogers Scholars program, Howard organized a children’s book drive for her community service project.
The children’s books collected through the drive were donated to the Salyersville Grade School and distributed among teachers to create an in-classroom library.
“As a child, reading was a very enjoyable hobby for me,” said Howard, a senior at Magoffin County High School. “I am grateful for this book drive, because it allows other children to begin a love for reading just like I had growing up.”
Howard set up book collection sites at local schools, shops, and even a hardware store, to make it more accessible and convenient for people to drop off children’s books. Volunteers at the Magoffin County High School Beta Club pitched in and helped as well setting up their own donation sites.
“Many elementary school teachers have been requesting book donations to create an in-classroom library,” Howard said. “I decided to start a book drive for children’s books to give to teachers wishing to have more books inside the classroom.”
Lisa Montgomery, a teacher at Salyersville Grade School, commended Howard on the project. “My students thoroughly enjoyed the books from the drive,” she said.
Howard is the daughter of Jennifer and Kelly Howard of Salyersville.