A book can change a child’s future

Cicero Kiwanis Club invites the community to support ‘Books for a Bright Future’

By TODD CLEVENGER
Cicero Kiwanis Club

For many children, the Scholastic Book Fair is one of the most exciting times of the school year.

They walk through the doors and see tables filled with colorful book covers, familiar characters, new adventures and stories waiting to be discovered. For some children, choosing which book to take home is the hardest decision they will make that day.

For others, however, the decision has already been made.

Not every child has money to spend at the book fair. While classmates search for their favorite book and eagerly make their selections, some students know they will leave empty-handed – not because they don’t want to read, but because purchasing a book simply isn’t an option.

The Cicero Kiwanis Club believes every child should have the opportunity to experience the excitement of choosing a book of their own.

That is why the club created Books for a Bright Future, a program that ensures every student at Hamilton Heights Elementary School receives a new, age-appropriate book during the Scholastic Spring Book Fair, at no cost to the student or their family.

Today, approximately 850 children benefit from the program.

For many of those children, that book is more than just something to read. It is an adventure. A mystery. A new favorite character. A reason to put down a screen and open a book. Perhaps, most importantly, it may be the beginning of a lifelong love of reading.

The funds that make Books for a Bright Future possible are raised largely through the Kiwanis Club of Cicero’s annual Dinner and Silent Auction, and the community is invited to come together for an evening of good food, fellowship, and fun, all while making a difference in the lives of local children.

The Books for a Bright Future Dinner & Silent Auction will be held from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at the South Harbour Clubhouse, 1156 S. Harbour Drive, Noblesville.

Guests will enjoy dinner and have the opportunity to browse and bid on a variety of silent auction items, with proceeds helping put books directly into the hands of children in our community.

Tickets are $55 per person or $100 per couple, with dinner selections including Chicken Piccata or Pork Ribeye.

But the impact of the evening will extend far beyond one dinner or one auction.

Every ticket purchased, every auction item donated and every winning bid helps make sure that when a child walks into the book fair, they don’t have to stand on the sidelines while others choose a book.

They get to choose one, too.

And the Cicero Kiwanis Club is not stopping there.

Because of the success and importance of Books for a Bright Future, the club plans to expand the program into Hamilton Heights Middle School next year, giving even more students the opportunity to select and own books of their own.

Getting children excited about reading at a young age can make a lasting difference. A child who discovers the joy of reading may carry that love with them for the rest of their life. Sometimes all it takes is the right book finding its way into the right child’s hands.

That is what Books for a Bright Future is all about.

The Cicero Kiwanis Club hopes the community will join them on Sept. 26 – not just for a wonderful meal or the opportunity to take home a great auction item, but for the chance to invest in the future of local children.

Because somewhere among those 850 students may be a child who discovers their favorite author. A future teacher, writer, scientist, entrepreneur, or community leader who finds inspiration between the pages of a book.

And it all may begin with one book they otherwise would not have been able to purchase.

As the saying goes, “A book is a gift you can open again and again.”

On Sept. 26, the community has an opportunity to help give that gift to hundreds of local children – and soon, even more.

For ticket information or to purchase tickets online, visit the Cicero Kiwanis Books for a Bright Future Dinner & Silent Auction ticket page.

The Cicero Kiwanis Club invites everyone to bring a spouse, friend, neighbor, or fellow book lover and spend an evening helping ensure that every child has the opportunity to discover the joy that can be found between the covers of a book.

Because no child should have to walk out of a book fair empty-handed.