Colorado Springs Children’s Book Drive

Colorado Springs, CO (October 1, 2025) – The Colorado Springs (CO) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated is proud to announce its Children’s Book Drive, running now through October 18, 2025, in partnership with Reach Out and Read Colorado. This initiative is dedicated to providing young children in Colorado Springs with access to high-quality books, building home libraries and enabling healthy reading habits.

Reach Out and Read Colorado is a nonprofit organization that partners with pediatricians to improve early literacy and language, social-emotional skills, and overall brain development. By making reading aloud an integral part of health and well-being from a young age, the organization increases kindergarten readiness, strengthens parent-child bonds and nurtures a child’s love for learning.

“When we place books in little hands, we place the world within their reach,” said Lucia Harrison, President of The Colorado Springs (CO) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. “By partnering with Reach Out and Read Colorado, we are ensuring that children in our Colorado Springs community have the tools to thrive.”

The Links, Incorporated Chapter invites individuals, families, and local organizations to participate in one of two ways:

1. Donate your gently used children’s books – ranging from board books and picture books to early chapter books – for preschool through elementary school aged children in need. These book donations will be collected on Saturday, October 18, 2025 from 12:00-2:00 PM at Premier Event Center (2210 Academy Pl, Colorado Springs, CO 80909).
2. Contribute to the virtual book drive even if you can’t collect books in person.
   For those without books to donate, financial contributions can be made through the Virtual Book Drive at bit.ly/links-bookdrive. Every dollar stretches further, as wholesale purchasing allows $11 to provide 4 children’s books directly to families in need.

With over 30 years of research, Reach Out and Read has proven that reading together with a young child regularly has a significant impact on brain development. “Because 90% of a child’s brain is developed by age 5, just 10 minutes snuggled up and reading with a child at the end of a long day is incredibly important to not only improve early literacy, language and social-emotional skills, but also to strengthen parent-child bonds and actually help reduce the negative effects of ACEs (adverse childhood experiences),” shared Reach Out and Read Colorado CEO, Patty Fontneau. “This all helps build more resilient children.”

By participating in this book drive, Colorado Springs community members will help children build home libraries and spark a lifelong love of reading. For more information about the book drive or to get involved, please contact the Colorado Springs (CO) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated at [email protected].