MOULTRIE, Ga. — Three Colquitt County schools are among 300 from across the country that were chosen to receive a $5,000 grant from the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries. 

The award was announced May 15 by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

Media specialists from each school outlined their respective plans for the grant money, which included updating a non-fiction book collection, taking students to a nearby bookstore, and adding books to a book vending machine. 

“Our school is very excited to be one of the recipients of the Laura Bush Grant,” Norman Park Elementary media specialist Angela Perry said. “We plan to update our non-fiction collection in the library. We are looking forward to adding more current informational books on topics that interest our students.”

Dr. Cheryl Youse, media specialist at Colquitt County High School, said, “With no book store here in Moultrie, we are very happy to have the opportunity to take some of our students to a bookstore in a nearby town so they can examine and choose books directly to share with others.” 

Funston Elementary media specialist April Allegood also expressed gratitude for the grant. “We will use the funds to add books to our book vending machine that is used for student rewards throughout the year,” she said. “We will also be able to add more books to the library for all students.”

In its press release, the Bush Presidential Center said the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries has awarded $1.5 million in library grants this year. 

“The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries supports school libraries with the greatest needs with the goal of encouraging all students to develop a love of reading and learning,” the release said.

It went on to state that the foundation has awarded more than $19.5 million to more than 3,300 schools across the country since its establishment in 2002.

The foundation’s Summer 2022 Reading List can be found online on the Laura Bush Foundation’s website at laurabushfoundation.org.