Partners In Education (PIE) and New Bern’s Books-A-Million (BAM) are providing an opportunity for our community to purchase books for Craven County Schools’ classrooms. The Book Purchasing Program will take place July 23 – August 20, 2023, at Books-A-Million, 3005 Dr. Martin Luther King., Jr., Blvd.

Taryn Fisher, General Manager at Books-A-Million explains, “The most successful way to improve the reading achievement of our children is to increase their access to print. Communities ranking high in achievement tests have several factors in common: an abundance of books in public libraries, easy access to books in the community, and many classroom books per student. Commit yourself to increase student reading achievement and literacy in Craven County by purchasing a book for our Craven County Schools classrooms through our Book Purchasing Program!”

Brandy Popp, PIE Fund Raising Committee Chair, says, “Books-A-Million reached out to us about increasing books available to our students in their classrooms. Our goal is to focus on pre-k through grade 5 students. The list of books to purchase through the Book Purchasing Program is available on the CravenPartners.com website and is also available at Books-A-Million.”

Note: Book purchases must be made in person at the store. Online purchases are not eligible for this program.

The books purchased by our community members will be made available to Craven County Schools pre-k through grade 5 teachers for use in their classrooms at a Book Giveaway at Books-A-Million on September 10-23, 2023, 3:00 – 7:30 pm. A notice announcing the Book Giveaway will be sent to CCS teachers in September. CCS teachers must show their school system ID to receive the free books.

Craven County Partners In Education provides grant funding and special programs to classrooms and schools within the Craven County Schools system. It is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Corporation, Tax ID #56-1335975, and donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 919-814-5400. The license is not an endorsement by the State.

Books-A-Million seeks to increase literacy in our community and believes that teachers have one of the most critical jobs: taking on the responsibility of educating our children in a compelling manner. BAM strives to source the best educational materials available.

For more information about this event or how to support PIE, contact Darlene Brown at 514-6321 or Darlene.Brown@Cravenk12.org . Visit the PIE website at CravenPartners.com to learn more about this program and the list of books available for purchase at BAM.

Since 1988, PIE has been changing the lives of students and families in our community by providing our educators with financial resources that enhance and reward innovative approaches to educational excellence.