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Children’s Book Expo receives Garman Family Foundation grant to bring authors to WNY

Oct 5, 2017 | In the News

The third annual WNY Children’s Book Expo (WNYCBE), the area’s premier literary event for children, recently received a $9,900 grant from the Garman Family Foundation administered by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. The funds will be used to bring six well-known authors to Buffalo, where they will visit three Buffalo Public Schools including PS 89 Dr. Lydia T. Wright School of Excellence, PS 94 West Hertel Academy and PS 95 Waterfront Elementary School.

WNYCBE kicks off with KidsLit Week from Nov. 4-10, during which time nearly 40 internationally acclaimed authors will visit area schools, libraries, museums and cultural venues to inspire a love of books in students from pre-k through middle school. The event concludes with Expo Saturday on Nov. 11, a day-long showcase of new and beloved books written for kids that will take place in the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center in downtown Buffalo. The event is free and open to the public.

Author visits being funded by the Garman Family Foundation grant include:
• Juana Medina, West Hertel Academy Grades K-2 , Wednesday, Nov. 8
• Jonah Winter, West Hertel Academy Grades 3-5, Wednesday, Nov. 8
• Salina Yoon, Dr. Lydia T. Wright School Grades K-2, Wednesday, Nov. 8
• Lesa Cline-Ransome, Dr. Lydia T. Wright School Grades 3-5, Wednesday, Nov. 8
• Kathryn Otoshi, Waterfront Elementary School Grades K-2, Thursday, Nov. 9
• EB Lewis, Waterfront Elementary School Grades 3-5, Thursday, Nov. 9

Anne Ryan is executive director of Read to Success Buffalo, a WNYCBE partner. She is thrilled that the Garman Family Foundation grant will help bring these distinguished authors to Buffalo.

“Read to Succeed Buffalo’s vision is to transform educational outcomes for Buffalo’s children through a community wide priority on literacy,” Ryan said. “One of the best ways to achieve this vision is by promoting excellent children’s literature. We know that primetime TV has less challenging vocabulary than high-quality children’s books, so getting a book into the hands of a child can be a truly life-changing opportunity for them and their caregivers. Our goal in partnering with the Western New York Children’s Book Expo is to increase the number of economically disadvantaged children with access to an in-person author visit at their Buffalo elementary school and a trip to the Expo to get a quality children’s book of their very own.”

For more information on the WNYCBE, please visit www.monkeysread.com/wnycbe-home or call 204-8417.

The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, a 501(c)(3) organization, was established in 1919 to enhance long-term philanthropy in Western New York. For more information regarding the foundation, please visit www.cfgb.org.

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