Brandi and Scott Applegate began a tradition in 2016 to make sure every child in the Estes Park Schools who needed a book but was not able to afford to buy one during the school’s annual Scholastic Book Fair, would not be empty handed.
“Plant a Book, Grow a Child puts a $200 voucher into the hands of each grade teacher and the librarian, so that they can identify students that might need a book, or books, due to financial or learning needs, and make sure the students get them,” said Scott Applegate.
Over the past 8 years, with the support of many individuals and area organizations, Plant a Book, Grow a Child—a program of the Estes Valley Sunrise Rotary—has provided 4,875 books for 2,052 local children at a total cost of $34,000.
It takes about $5,200 to purchase the books, but this year, as many area businesses felt the economic pinch of a tight economy over the summer coupled with the disruption of downtown road construction, donations to the book program were down.
Applegate reached out to what he called a “close circle of long-term supporters” who stepped up, including Ascent Title, Bright Christmas, Estes Park Education Foundation, the Bank of Estes Park, members of the Estes Valley Board of Realtors, and members of the Estes Valley Sunrise Rotary Club.
The literacy program provided 430 books to 194 local school children during this year’s book fair which took place Oct. 4 to Oct. 10.
As a child growing up, Applegate says on a few occasions when his parents could not afford to buy a book from the annual book fair at his elementary school, he was gifted a book by a teacher or two. The memory of their kindness stuck with him. In turn, he wanted to make sure that every child in Estes Park was able to receive a book during the book fair, an event that serves as a school fundraiser.
“By using vouchers/credits, we avoid sales tax, and I pay any other expenses, including stickers that go in the books, so every dollar donated goes directly toward books for kids,” said Applegate.
Donations for the book program can be made to the Estes Valley Sunrise Rotary Foundation-Plant a Book, P.O. Box 376, Estes Park, Colo. 80517