Release Date : 22 Jul 2011
Ladies and Gentlemen
1. A very good morning to all and a warm welcome to the Charity Book Donation 2011.
2. The Charity Book Donation is very close to our heart. Every year, our staff gladly spend a lot of time and effort to organise this event. We do this because we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to read and have access to books. Wherever we are in our life journey, reading allows our spirits to take flight and opens up new vistas.
3. Therefore, we are delighted to have 96 Voluntary Welfare Organisations or VWOs participate in our donation exercise this year. This is the highest number of VWOs that have been invited so far and we hope to invite even more in the years to come. This year's VWOs include first-time participants such as Project Silverfish as well as others who have benefited from the book donation for many years such as the Singapore Prison Service, Dyslexia Association of Singapore, SINDA and Muhammadiyah Welfare Home. We hope that our book donation would serve as an encouragement to the beneficiaries of the VWOs to keep on reading and to keep on learning.
4. Allow me to share with you on the impact of the Charity Book Donation had on one of our recipients. kidsREAD which is a nationwide reading programme launched by the NLB, has been a recipient of the Charity Book Donation since 2007. Established in 2004, kidsREAD aims to promote the love of reading and cultivate good reading habits in children aged 4 to 8, particularly those from the low-income families. Under this initiative, there are currently 104 reading clubs formed with organisations, such as Pathlight School, PCF Tampines North and Mountbatten Community Club, where children can enjoy activities such as storytelling, word puzzles and craft activities.
5. This year, kidsREAD will receive about 4,000 books on various genres such as fairytales and science from the Charity Book Donation. These books will be added to the mini libraries set up at the various kidsREAD centres where children are encouraged to read from a young age. I am pleased to know that most of the children who have graduated from the programme have shown immense interest in reading and increased confidence in speaking English.
6. Other than reaching out to the underserved by sharing our books and resources with them, the Charity Book Donation is also part of the NLB's corporate volunteerism programme. This is also the first year where some members of NLB's senior management team will play a role in helping to select and pack books and magazines for participating VWOs.
7. Over the next two days, we will be holding the Library Book Sale where over 355,000 used library books and magazines will be on sale at very attractive prices. So, do bring your family and friends along and join us at that event.
8. In closing, I would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsors, Singex Venues Pte Ltd, Yamato Transport (S) Pte Ltd and Gardenia Foods (S) Pte Ltd, for their generous support of the Charity Book Donation and Library Book Sale. I would also like to express my gratitude to NLB staff who have worked hard to organise both events, as well as those who are here this morning to help select and pack the books for the VWOs.
9. Thank you.