Books Beyond the Bosque is a fundraising campaign that we are thrilled to introduce to our community of readers. While we are based in Albuquerque, we are also dedicated to encouraging a love of reading by gifting books to various programs and schools throughout New Mexico.  
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New Mexico has the lowest literacy rate in the country,  and according to New Mexico's KIDS COUNT profile, 79% of eighth graders are NOT proficient in reading. Our national ranking for middle and high school students who live in poverty is 48th. While New Mexico is rich in culture and diversity, our numbers are low when it comes to household income and education. One of the main causes is access to books, which gets costly.
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Our goals include:
 
1. Get NEW books to young people who live in book deserts.
2. Increase literacy rates within those communities.
3. Provide books that are written by authors who represent the diverse cultures of New Mexico.
4. Help bring books to libraries in school districts where there's financial disparity.
5. Foster a life-long love for reading.  
 
Just recently we launched a small but successful fundraising campaign for the graduating class of Española Valley High School. Each graduating student received a free book as a graduation gift. We also had just enough money to gift a book to an honors English class at West Mesa High School. We are incredibly grateful for those who gave toward this effort.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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The phrase "It takes a village to raise a child" originates from an African Proverb and conveys the message that it takes many people to provide a safe, healthy environment for children, where children are given the security they need to develop and flourish, so they are able to realize their hopes and dreams. Please consider contributing to our efforts. Any amount goes a long way. We are so incredibly grateful for the partnerships in this program. 
 
"Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift." Kate DiCamillo