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The Oswego Bookmobile Steering Committee is very pleased to acknowledge a $1,000 grant from the Oswego City County Youth Bureau for the purchase of curriculum materials, character costumes, and supplies.
The Bookmobile is a summer program that provides free books to students in the Oswego City School District. The Bookmobile encourages summer reading for at-risk children from pre-K to grade 12 by traveling to Oswego neighborhoods and giving away new or gently loved, popular books. In addition to receiving a book at their independent reading level, children also have a healthy snack and sometimes participate in literacy activities. The Bookmobile’s mission is “Empowering children to be readers!”
The grant from the Youth Bureau provided the Bookmobile with funds to purchase new, summer weight literary character costumes for student volunteers to wear at events where the Bookmobile makes an appearance. Children become excited about reading when they meet and speak with characters right out of their favorite books. The Bookmobile appears at Oswego’s Fourth of July parade, Farmer’s Market, and Movie in the Park nights, as well as regularly scheduled stops in OCSD neighborhoods throughout the summer. Older students who are Bookmobile Advisory Council members enjoy wearing the costumes and talking to young readers about books and reading.
The grant from the Oswego City-County Youth Bureau also provided a Bookmobile literacy activity. The Bookmobile has weekly themes that coordinate with themes set by the NY State Library for summer reading programs in New York’s public libraries. Science or “Fizz, boom, read!” was this summer’s overall theme. Chemistry or “Bubbles and books,” was one weekly theme. During chemistry week, Tom. Altman, the bubble maker, rode the Bookmobile for the week of July 21 - 28 and presented fun, chemistry based bubble programs. Bookmobile staff then helped youngsters select books on science topics.
The Bookmobile Steering Committee is composed entirely of volunteers and the Bookmobile relies on grants from local organizations, such as the Oswego City-County Youth Bureau, as well as businesses, corporations, and individuals to continue its program. The Bookmobile also relies on support from the partners of the Oswego City School District, SUNY Oswego, the YMCA and Oswego Public Library. The Oswego Bookmobile will soon kick off a community awareness and fund-raising campaign to purchase a much-needed new vehicle.
