The Grand Forks Foundation for Education is excited to announce the establishment of the little red reading bus, a mobile library that will make books available to children throughout our community when school is not in session, beginning in June 2016. Community fundraising for the little red reading bus began on Giving Hearts Day 2016, February 11. With the generous support of corporate sponsors who provided matching funding, and individual donors who gave on that day, the Foundation raised just over $29,500 for the project!! 

A library on wheels, the little red reading bus aligns with the Grand Forks Public Schools’ RED (Read Every Day Program). The mission of RED is to inspire children to discover the joy of reading so it becomes a lifelong habit, and engage families and caregivers in their child’s literacy development. The goal of project is to provide children access to a large variety of books, decrease summer reading loss, increase reading achievement, and provide a fun summer activity for children, one that promotes the love of reading. 

“We know that reading is the foundation for all learning. Placing books in children’s hands is a wonderful thing as well as an investment in our future,” Dr. Roanne Malm, principal of Lake Agassiz Elementary School. “Our team is excited to the get the little red reading bus rolling!”

The little red reading bus is a grassroots, collaborative effort between community organizations, including the Grand Forks Foundation for Education, the Grand Forks Public Schools, the Grand Forks Public Library, and the Grand Forks Park District. 

For more information about the little red reading bus, please contact Foundation Executive Director, Emilia Hodgson, at 701.787.4867. You can also follow the bus on Facebook: facebook.com/LittleRedReadingBus and Twitter: twitter.com/GFRedReadingBus.