From today until the end of term, tens of thousands of school children
in more than 530 low decile schools will begin to receive two free books each
from literacy charity Duffy Books in Homes.
The charity will be helped by dozens of prominent and inspiring role
models who will visit each Duffy school from Te Hapua in the Far North to Bluff
in Southland.
The role models visit Duffy schools twice a year to deliver the
charity’s key message – ‘It’s cool to read and cool to achieve.’
While ‘Duffy kids’ look forward to receiving two free books each during
the next three weeks, they are just as excited to hear from an inspirational
role model during a special school assembly.
Role models visiting Duffy
schools include Shortland Street Rachel Jackson-Lees ,
TV presenter and model Jo Holley, storytellers Rhubarb, entertainer Adrian Kirk
and netballer Linda Vagana .
They make the connection
between their careers and their love of reading and show children, some of whom
have never owned a book in their lives, that reading provides a pathway to
success.
Much like the Lucky Book Club,
kids in Duffy schools choose books from a catalogue at the start of term and
then wait patiently for their book presentation assembly. The big
difference is that their books don’t cost them or their families a cent.
Since the official launch in 1995 with 80
schools, 16,000 students and 14 sponsors, the Duffy Books in Homes programme
has grown to encompass 532 schools, around 100,000 students and 200 sponsors in
2012. More than eight million books have been distributed to children in
low-decile schools since its inception and the programme now distributes more
than 600,000 books annually.
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