Newton County School System (NCSS) is pleased to announce that Walmart recently awarded the school district a community grant for $1,000 to support the NCSS Book Bus. Mr. Dan Brown, assistant manager of the Walmart located at Industrial Boulevard in Covington, personally delivered the check to NCSS Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey.

“At Walmart, we strongly believe in giving back,” said Brown, who noted that Walmart associates at his store also conducted a book drive and donated new and gently used books for the Book Bus. “We are proud to support organizations that improve communities where our customers and associates live and work. And none of those organizations plays a more vital role in our community than our school system. Reading is a fundamental skill that every child in our community should have and we at Walmart are proud to play a role in making sure that happens by offering this grant to help our school system purchase books for the boys and girls in Newton County. We support the NCSS Book Bus and we encourage other businesses and organizations in our community to do the same.”

“We are so grateful for this donation,” said NCSS Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey. “Our local Walmart is a tremendous partner in education and this grant for $1,000 is just another example of their commitment to our school system and the children in our community.”

The NCSS Book Bus first hit the road in June 2015 to provide students in the community with free books that they could keep at home and enjoy over and over again, without ever having to return them.

“We had no idea whether our Book Bus would be well received or not,” said Fuhrey. “But that question was answered when we arrived at our first stop and saw dozens of students and parents lined up waiting for us. We distributed well over 2,000 books that day and were constantly asked when we would be returning.”

After conducting book drives to restock the shelves, the Book Bus hit the road again in December 2015. Once again, children and parents were lined up waiting for the bus to arrive and by the end of the day, over two thousand books were distributed to children in Newton County.

“The ability to read is fundamental to a child’s success in school,” said Fuhrey. “There is a strong correlation between reading and academic success. In addition, reading is fundamental to function in today’s society; it is a vital skill in finding a good job. Reading also develops the mind and the imagination. And of course, reading is fun! We want to promote the love of reading and encourage our students to pick up a good book whenever they can.  The NCSS Book Bus has provided over 4,000 books in just two outings. It’s very expensive to purchase thousands of books but it is something we believe is important. The fact that businesses and organizations like Walmart are joining forces with us to make this happen shows the support we have in this community. We can do this if we work together. We can ensure that every child in our community, from infant through high school, has access to good books to read and enjoy.”

According to Fuhrey, the Walmart donation came at the perfect time, as the school system plans on sending the NCSS Book Bus back out for another run this summer.

Anyone wishing to make a monetary donation or provide new or gently used books for the NCSS Book Bus should contact Ms. Sherri Davis-Viniard, Director of Public Relations, at [email protected] or by phone at 770-784-2908. Please make any checks payable to “Newton County School System” with “NCSS Book Bus” in the subject line.