Abbeville High School named as recipient of Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries Grant

Abbeville High School is one of 300 schools from 36 states across the country to receive a $5,000 grant through the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries. This year, the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries awarded $1.5 million in library grants this year.
Many of the libraries will use the funds to update and diversify their collections.
“Congratulations to the 2023 Laura Bush Foundation Grant Recipients! I am thrilled that school librarians across the country will soon be able to update their library collections,” Mrs. Bush said.
“These funds will help AHS update its library collection and encourage reading. I applied for this grant last school year and didn’t receive it. It just goes to show that you cannot give up and should always keep trying. I look forward to seeing the Wildcats’ faces when we receive all the awesome new books! We are so appreciative of this opportunity,” said Katie Cordes, AHS Librarian and 2022-23 Teacher of the Year.
Mrs. Bush revealed her 2023 summer reading list, which includes recommendations for young readers through middle schoolers at the annual Laura Bush Book Club event, as part of the Engage at the Bush Center series presented by NexPoint, with support from H-E-B. Selections feature books on family, adventure, and gratitude. The list contains classics like The Little House as well as new releases like The Loud Librarian, featuring Dallas illustrator, Erika Lynne Jones.
 “This year’s summer reading list includes an old favorite, Charlotte’s Web, which I remember reading to my daughters when they were little,” Mrs. Bush said. “As a former teacher and librarian, I know that the most important thing parents and caregivers can do for their children is to read to them. So I hope you bring this list to your local library, and pick out a few books to read with your family this summer. Your kids will love it, and so will you.”
Grant applications for the 2023-2024 school year will open in late 2023. Visit laurabushfoundation.org to learn more.   
The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries supports school libraries with the greatest needs with the goal of encouraging all students to develop a love of reading and learning. Since its inception in 2002, it has awarded $21 million to more than 3,600 schools across the country.  
The George W. Bush Institute’s Education and Opportunity work, which houses the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries, is generously supported by The Allstate Foundation. The Laura Bush Foundation is managed as a restricted fund at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas. More information can be found at laurabushfoundation.org and www.bushcenter.org.

George W. Bush Institute

The George W. Bush Institute is a solution-oriented nonpartisan policy organization focused on ensuring opportunity for all, strengthening democracy, and advancing free societies. Housed within the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Bush Institute is rooted in compassionate conservative values and committed to creating positive, meaningful, and lasting change at home and abroad. It utilizes its unique platform and convening power to advance solutions to national and global issues of the day by influencing policy, not politics. Learn more at bushcenter.org.