Books for the Black Belt2024 Books for the Black Belt CampaignFebruary 5 - March 1The University of Alabama Center for Economic Development will launch the 18th annual Books for the Black Belt campaign on February 5. UACED encourages University of Alabama students, faculty, staff and local residents to donate K-12 books to the campaign until March 1.
The primary goal of UACED’s campaign is to collect more than 40,000 books to provide one book to each child in the Black Belt. About Alabama's Black Belt Region Alabama’s Black Belt includes some of the nation’s most disadvantaged counties with high rates of poverty and unemployment, and declining populations. Limited access to educational resources is also a major concern for the future of K-12 students in this region. This philanthropic project began in 2006 as an extension of former Governor Bob Riley’s Black Belt Action Commission, an Education Subcommittee. UACED has spearheaded the project for the university since its inception. By donating books to students in Alabama’s 13 Black Belt counties, UACED strives to help children develop a love of learning and reading. UACED will donate the books to schools in Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter and Wilcox counties. How and Where to Donate: UACED will accept donations of new or gently used classic and award-winning books frequently found on school reading lists for K-12 children. Donors can bring books to donation boxes on campus at:
Donors can also bring books to off-campus donation boxes at:
Additionally, donors can drop off books and monetary donations at UACED located at:621 Greensboro Avenue, Tuscaloosa AL 35401
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What kind of books are appropriate to donate?The short answer is any classic literature texts and other award-winning schoolbooks (fiction and non-fiction) often available on public school library shelves and included on recognized reading lists, including the Accelerated Reader program.
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Reference lists for appropiate books |
For questions or concerns, please contact Erin Hackenmueller
by phone (205)348-7058 or email ([email protected]).
"A student that is not reading at the 3rd-grade level by the end of 3rd grade is four times less likely to finish high school. Today we have only 35 percent of our 3rd graders that are proficient in reading at grade level."
Source: Governor Kay Ivey, 2018
Source: Governor Kay Ivey, 2018
2024 Books for the Black Belt Campaign
The University of Alabama Center for Economic Development (UACED) wrapped up the 17th annual Books for the Black Belt book drive in February of 2024. The month-long book drive ran from February 5 to March 1. Through the placement of collection bins around campus and donations from UA faculty, staff, students, and members of the community- nearly 15,500 new and gently used books were collected.
Campaign Impact
- 2024 collected and distributed 15,500 books to 69 schools in 13 counties & received $425 in donations
- 2023 collected and distributed over 11,500 books to 68 schools in 13 counties & received $360 in donations
- 2022 collected and distributed over 10,000 books to 72 schools in 13 counties
- 2021 No book drive due to COVID-19
- 2020 collected and distributed over 2,100 books to 29 schools in 13 counties
- 2019 collected and distributed over 4,800 books to 11 schools in 8 counties
- 2018 collected and distributed over 5,000 books to 12 schools in 6 counties
- 2017 collected and distributed over 16,000 books to 53 schools in 13 counties
- 2016 collected and distributed over 9,500 books to 40 schools in 10 counties
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Source: WBRC Fox 6 News
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Source: WVTM 13 News
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News
Vestavia Hills students donate over 7,000 books to Black Belt Book DriveVESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. (WIAT) — The Books for the Black Belt campaign received a generous donation from a Birmingham-area group of students last week.
Vestavia Hills High School students gathered 7,700 books for the book drive, mostly geared toward high school readers. They also helped deliver and unload the nearly 250 boxes of books to UA’s campus on Wednesday morning. |
Students from Vestavia Hills High School donate to Books for the Black Belt - WVUAEarlier this morning students from Vestavia Hills High School delivered thousands of donated books for the Black Belt. It’s all for The University of Alabama Center for Economic Development’s Books for the Black Belt Campaign. Vestavia hills students came to campus to drop off about 4,000 books they collected.
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Effort underway to get books to kids in underserved communities in west AlabamaTUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - An effort is underway in west Alabama to put books in the hands of school children in underserved communities as the University of Alabama is promoting literacy in the area.
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University of Alabama book drive supports students in Black Belt countiesThe University of Alabama Center for Economic Development is organizing the 18th annual Books for the Black Belt campaign, inviting K-12 students, faculty and locals to donate books to benefit K-12 literacy.
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