SMPS hoping to expand library collection through Indigo Adopt a School program
Jesse Bonello - Staff Writer
Through the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation, Sioux Mountain Public School (SMPS) is participating in the Adopt a School program to help expand their library collection.
According to the Love of Reading Foundation, SMPS is one of 182 schools across the country that have been adopted by local Indigo, Coles, and Chapters stores who will fundraise on their behalf.
The three-week campaign started Sept. 15 and ends on Oct. 6.
Supporters can participate by making a donation in-store or through the Adopt a School registry at indigo.ca.
“Back in the springtime, we were notified of an opportunity that allows us to send in an application to be adopted by a Chapters store. We were picked up by the Chapters in Yorkdale Mall in Toronto, so their main goal is to help raise funds in store to help us expand our library and our resources that we currently have for the kids… They are in charge of raising money and it’s our job to promote our online registry, so in the beginning they gave us a list of a bunch of books and we had to choose from 50 books. They created a registry for us, which is currently up-and-running online, and with every purchase of a book on that registry they will send us an identical copy of that book,” explained Alicia MacMillan, grade four teacher at SMPS.
“Currently, I checked today (Sept. 24), and I don’t know the overall monetary value because it’s not over yet, but we have had four books purchased from our online registry as of this morning.
“All the money that is raised, that goes in to the form of an e-gift card under our school’s name, and we have that money that we then use to buy books. They don’t necessarily have to be from Chapters but, if they are, then they give us a 30 per cent off discount on the books that we do purchase,” she said.
Sioux Lookout residents can contribute to SMPS through the online registry or by purchasing an e-gift card online, which will be added to the total amount fundraised for SMPS.
“If you wanted to access the online registry, you can just go to Chapters’ webpage and, under registry, type in Sioux Mountain Public School and it will bring up the 50 books that we are looking to add to our collection. If they want to do a monetary donation, people can purchase an e-gift card and they can then tell me the gift card number and then I can pass that along to Chapters. They will then add that to our total,” she said.
For people looking to purchase an e-gift card, gift card numbers can be sent to alicia.macmillan@kpdsb.ca.
