Half Price Books to Present More Than 6,000 Books to Cook Children's Medical Center
Fort Worth Community Donates Children's Books for Half Pint Library Program
DALLAS (May 7, 2009)— Half Price Books will present the Fort Worth communitys donations of more than 6,000 children's books to Cook Children's Medical Center during a dedication ceremony at 3 p.m., Tuesday, May 12, at Cook Children's Medical Center, located at 801 Seventh Ave., in Fort Worth. On hand for the presentation will be Cook staff members who will visit with patients and read a story to encourage literacy skills and Bill Madden, district manager of Half Price Books. BW, the Half Price Books Bookworm costume character, also will entertain patients and help the kids chose books to take home.
“More than 100,000 books were collected for the program nationally this year, and we're pleased to be able to present thousands of books to Cook Children's Medical Center on behalf of their community,” said Kathy Doyle Thomas, executive vice president of Half Price Books. “We hope that these books will help ease patients' stays and add to their personal libraries at home.”
The Half Pint Libraries in the hospital provide an escape from the challenges faced by pediatric patients, while helping to boost literacy skills. The books are placed in bright red carts donated by Half Price Books, so that they can be brought to children who may have limited mobility. In many cases, children and their siblings are getting their first take-home book through the Half Pint Library program, and books are used in some facilities for speech therapy and as a distraction method by hospital staff during testing or other procedures.
The Half Pint Library book drive took place for six weeks, and patrons were encouraged to drop off new or gently-used children's books at any of the Half Price Books locations in the Fort Worth area, where the store staff then sorted and prepared them for delivery to the hospital. For more information about the program, please visit www.halfpricebooks.com.
About Half Price Books
Half Price Books is the largest family-owned new and used bookstore chain with more than 100 retail locations in 16 states. Stores are open seven days a week and buy and sell new and used books, magazines, comics, records, CDs, DVDs and collectible items. Half Price Books has been dedicated to environmental and literacy efforts for 36 years and supports hundreds of local, national and international programs. Each year the company sponsors the Half Pint Library Book Drive at each of its stores, donating thousands of books to hospitals and clinics throughout the United States. Half Price Books is a founding contributor to Laura Bush's National Book Festival, a continuing supporter of the National Center for Family Literacy, and the founder of the environmental website BecomeGreen.org. For more information about Half Price Books, its store locations and corporate initiatives, please visit www.halfpricebooks.com.