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Judith’s Reading Room Expands Globally with       Announcement of its 96th Library

Mexico joins 18 other countries to open a Judith’s Reading Room Library

April 16, 2018 — Lehigh Valley, Pa.  Judith’s Reading Room, a non-profit organization founded in 2010 to enrich lives and societies by proactively encouraging freedom through literacy announced today the opening of its 96th library in its 19th country with The Palapa Society of Todos Santos, Mexico. 
The Palapa Society of Todos Santos is a non-profit whose mission is to create prepared 21st Century learners.  The organization was a 2017 Judith’s Reading Room Freedom Through Literacy Award winner and received a check in the amount of $500.  With that, they purchased approximately 50 children’s books in English and Spanish including BFG by Roald Dahl and Frida by Jonah Winter.   
The effort to teach English at the Biblioteca Infantil (Children’s Library) is to counter the low level of household literacy and reading habits in the Todos Santos community.  Compounding the problem is that local public schools do not have libraries nor do the classrooms contain books outside of textbooks.  The Palapa Society aims to change all that through the collaboration with Judith’s Reading Room.  Joy O’Brien, Program Director of The Palapa Children’s Library said “ the 162 ‘library enthusiasts’ were waiting to get their hands on the new books donated by Judith’s Reading Room. “ 
The 2018 Judith’s Reading Room Freedom Through Literacy Award application process is underway.  The 2018 Award will grant $4,500 in prizes.  The deadline to apply at www.JudithsReadingRoom.org/APPLY is July 6, 2018.  Since its inception, Judith’s Reading Room has dedicated 96 libraries in 19 countries with 127,679 books worth nearly $1.4 million dollars.  The Freedom Through Literacy Award has disbursed $24,500 and has honored 19 individual champions of literacy in the United States, the Philippines, Bhutan, Pakistan, Rwanda, Cambodia and Mexico. 

The Palapa Society of Todos Santos

Por fin or finally as we say in English! Here is a foto of a few of our 162 “card-carrying” library enthusiasts waiting eagerly to get their hands on the new books donated by Judith’s Reading Room. Just as there are only a very few of the kids in the foto, it is also only a portion of the books that were purchased with your generous donation. The others flew off the shelves before the foto could be made. Not a day goes by that one of the books that Judith’s Reading Room purchased is not being checked out for the enjoyment of our kids. We can’t thank you enough….
Joy O’Brien, Program Director of the Palapa Children’s Library (Biblioteca Infantil), Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico
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