Wadena-Deer Creek School Library seeks help to buy books
WADENA - The upcoming school year presents plenty of challenges to the students and staff of Wadena-Deer Creek High School, including the need for library books.
Books pulled from the Wadena-Deer Creek High School Library were loaded into a semi and transported from the tornado-damaged school to the WDC Elementary School and unloaded by volunteers. More than 7,000 books were damaged. A fundraising campaign is in the works to replace the damaged books for the school.
In the aftermath of the June 17 tornado that damaged the high school building, media specialist Loni Niles reported resources instrumental to teaching and learning were lost.
When the EF4 tornado damaged the high school, sprinklers were activated throughout the building, including those in the library.
Because of the unsafe structure of the building, the books remained in the high humidity of the high school for three weeks until they were removed by a specially trained crew. The books were transported to Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary School, where they were unloaded by volunteers. Unfortunately, more than 7,000 books were contaminated or damaged and unable to be saved.
As Wadena-Deer Creek School District waits for insurance information, it continues to look ahead to the upcoming school year. Instead of one library for 7th-12th graders, there will be two libraries to serve the student body, which will be split into temporary locations.
To help replace the books, the library is participating in a new online fundraising program called Funds4Books, sponsored by Mackin Educational Resources, a school library and classroom vendor with 26 years of experience.
For approximately every $15 donated, the library can purchase a new book that is ready to be shelved and checked out by students. Most importantly, 100 percent of every donation will be spent on books for the library.
To participate, donors may go to www.funds4books.com, and then log in to Wadena-Deer Creek High School's personal fundraising page with the code 2e65. From there they can donate via credit card or electronic check. For those without computer access or a credit card, the library will accept checks made out to "Funds4Books" and mailed to WDC High School, 215 Colfax Ave. S.W., Wadena, MN 56482.
"The fact that 100 percent of every donation comes right to the library is truly amazing and sets it far apart from other fundraising programs," Niles said in a news release. "Even more importantly, the books are labeled and shipped for free and it doesn't require staff or volunteer time. If everyone gives a little, we can reach our goal of $10,000."
Mackin Educational Resources, located in Burnsville, created the new fundraising program in response to nationwide school budget cuts and a struggling economy. Mackin works with librarians to analyze their inventory and determine what additional books should be purchased to effectively meet the unique needs of the school's students and faculty.