College's partnership with neighborhood receives Coretta Scott King book donation

The College of Education's partnership with the Athens Housing Authority to create programming at the Parkview Community Center has received another recognition.

Along with recently accepting a grant from the Athens Cultural Affairs Commission to paint a mural at the neighborhood's community center, the partnership has received a Coretta Scott King Book Awards Donation Grant to help build the center's book library.

The donation brings 102 award-winning books by African-American authors and illustrators to the Parkview Community Center, augmenting the language and literacy education work already taking place through faculty and graduate students.

Jennifer Graff, an associate professor, and Stephanie Tolliver, a doctoral student, both in the College's department of language and literacy education, applied for the grant.

Offered through the American Library Association, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Donation Grant helps build collections and bring books into the lives of children in a variety of settings. Three book donation grants are typically awarded each year, with winners receiving a full set of that year's winning and honored titles.

The other winners for 2018 were Art Aids Kids in South Africa and the Uni Project in New York City.