FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOISE, Idaho – Deliveries of hundreds of new books and big cash awards to six lucky elementary schools in the Treasure Valley are underway as part of the Idaho Lottery’s annual Bucks for Books program. This year’s awards, totaling $50,000 to 19 schools across the Gem State, were announced during a public ceremony at Washington Elementary in Caldwell. Bucks for Books is a collaborative effort between the Idaho Lottery and the Idaho Commission for the Libraries to improve early education literacy.

“The Idaho Lottery was created to do good for public schools in the State of Idaho,” said Jeff Anderson, Idaho Lottery Director. “Bucks for Books is another way we further our ‘Do Good’ mission by promoting early education literacy among younger students.”

“The library is more than just books. For our students, it’s a community resource. Many of our students do not own a single book to read at home and rely on our library to provide quality reading materials," said Jill Kroll, Washington Elementary School librarian. “To create excitement among the students, I would like to increase our entry level chapter books for our younger readers and add more higher-level chapter books for our upper grades.”

Over the past four years of the Bucks for Books program, the Idaho Lottery has provided over $225,000 in elementary school library awards and books to eighty-nine schools.

BACKGROUND ON BUCKS FOR BOOKS

The American Library Association recommends that an effective school library requires 15 - 20 books per student in a school’s collection, with an annual budget allocation of $12 - $15 per student each year to replace lost and damaged materials and to maintain a current, relevant collection.

According to the Idaho Commission for Libraries, in the Gem State though, a majority of Idaho public schools lack sufficient resources for their entire annual library needs. About 28% of public elementary schools report an annual budget of $100 or less for book procurement, while 62% of Idaho’s elementary schools report an annual budget of less than $1,000. This is why the Idaho Lottery, in coordination with the Idaho Commission for Libraries, introduced its Bucks for Books Idaho School Library Program.

Bucks for Books is a concept that started with a conversation at Governor Little’s first Capital for a Day in Emmett. It’s a fundraising program by the Idaho Lottery and its VIP Club members that ran during the month of September each of the past two years.

In September, Schools applied through the Idaho Commission for Libraries for the Bucks for Books funds. Awards were determined during November and ranged from $1,000 to $3,000.

Below is the complete list of all winners in the Treasure Valley area:

• Frontier Elementary Boise - $3,000
• Jefferson Elementary Boise - $3,000
• Lewis and Clark Elementary Caldwell - $3,000
• New Horizons Dual Language Nampa - $3,000
• Washington Elementary Caldwell - $3,000
• Whitney Elementary Boise - $1,000

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ABOUT THE IDAHO LOTTERY

The Idaho Lottery responsibly provides a variety of entertaining games featuring Powerball, Mega Millions, Scratch GamesTM, and PullTabs with a high degree of integrity to maximize the dividend for Idaho public schools and the permanent building fund. Since their inception in 1989, the Idaho Lottery has sold over $5 billion in products, awarded more than $3.1 billion in prizes to players, returned $293 million in retail commissions, and distributed $1.1 billion in Lottery dividends to Idaho public schools and buildings. To learn more, please visit www.idaholottery.com.