The initiative is designed to help Chicago Public School students build culturally relevant personal libraries and to keep them reading and learning during the summer and remote learning

Today, Chicago-based Hilco Redevelopment Partners through their charitable organization, Hilco Helps, is announcing the donation of $42,000 to the Chicago Public School’s Foundation called Children’s First Fund, to support their annual Summer Reading Initiative. The initiative aims to provide Chicago Public School students in grades K – 8 at one of the 43 participating schools throughout the city, including seven schools in the Little Village area, with a pack of several high-quality books in order to keep them reading during the summer months and during the time of remote learning.

This year, the Summer Reading Initiative, is more important than ever. With schools closed, and CPS encouraging independent reading as a key component of remote learning, it is critical to get books in the hands of CPS families. Being culturally relevant is a crucial element of the program as studies have shown that multicultural books are a powerful tool for students to see reflections of themselves and learn about other people and other cultures.

“As part of our on-going commitment to make a positive impact in the communities in which we work, we want to ensure that students in Little Village and across the city have the tools they need to succeed,” said Hilco Redevelopment Partners CEO Roberto Perez. “We are fortunate to work with the Children’s First Fund to get books to families and students who need them to keep kids active during this time of remote learning where access to books may be limited. ”