Donation to provide 200 books to Lebanon Special School District summer book program

Abbey Nutter, The Lebanon Democrat, Tenn.
Updated ·2 min read

Apr. 24—A donation by the Wilson County Democratic Women will help provide 200 new books to the Lebanon Special School District's Neon Remix bus summer book program.

"We were actually at the Juneteenth Festival last year and they had the bus there, were letting people on to check it out and it was very cool," Wilson County Democratic Women President Brittany Orpurt-Hilton said. "How many stories do people have of going to the library when they were a kid or hiding in their closet late at night with a cool book?"

Before Wilson County Democratic Women raised $1,000 for the summer book bus program, the organization was looking for a way to take an older initiative and redirect the fundraising efforts.

"Summer reading is so important, so that is what drew us to that particular project," Orpurt-Hilton said.

Members of Wilson County Democratic Women didn't know until they arrived to drop off the check that the funds raised would purchase approximately 200 books for the Neon Remix program.

"That's a lot of kids that can get a free book to take home," Orpurt-Hilton said. "It's the people (running the program) that choose the books. They know the kids that are coming to the bus. They know the crowd. They know the neighborhoods. They know the topics that the kids care about and are interested in. That's just going to help so many kids."

The Lebanon Special School District's Neon Remix Bus and Neon Bus are part of the Summer Food Service Program, which provides children with free meals throughout the summer. Onboard the Neon Remix Bus, the program also allows for children to pick out an age-appropriate book to keep.

"We really thank the Wilson County Democratic Women for the donation of $1,000," LSSD Family Resource Center Director Beth Petty said. "For the last three years, Lebanon Special School District has been able to document academic gains among students who visit the summer book bus three or more times. The community has really rallied to help our district meet increases in literacy scores."

Wilson County Democratic Women stated in a press release that Harper's Books played a major role in raising funds for the donation and donated 10% of sales made over the course of two Fridays to the fundraiser.

"Our members blew us away with their generosity," Orpurt-Hilton stated in the press release. "We are proud to work with partners like Harper's Books and see the Wilson County community come together to support our most vulnerable children and ensure that they have access to educational material all summer long."

Orpurt-Hilton says the Wilson County Democratic Women hope to continue the fundraising effort in the future. Anyone wanting to donate to the program can do so by visiting WilsonCoDemWomen.org and selecting donate.