"Catch the Reading Bug"

 Campaign

Thank you to those who donated to this year's book drive for the backstretch kids of Arlington Park! Your contributions made it possible for each of the 260 "Kids on Track" campers to receive a new book this summer!

We are already seeking donations for next year's book drive. Books for children aged 3-13 are greatly appreciated. Many schools offer a "book order" program, through which books can be purchased for as little as $0.99! Consider donating a book to benefit these amazing children. 

Click here for an article on the backstretch kids!

A Note from Abby: 

                I was first introduced to the backstretch children of Arlington Park  Racetrack while volunteering as a "Junior Library Volunteer" at my local library in 2007. Once a week, over 200 of these adorable kids--who were all part of the Kids on Track day-camp program--would rush into the library, anxious to search for a new book or movie to check out. My job was to play games with the children before and after they browsed the shelves. Immediately, I fell in love with the backstretch kids! Through the Volunteer Center, I was able to donate a Double T hygiene kit to each of the backstretch children.

             That next year, the Volunteer Center of Northwest Suburban Chicago introduced me to an even more hands-on volunteer opportunity with the backstretch kids. I spent two days a week throughout the summer on the backstretch as a Kids on Track volunteer. I worked with the orange group ("las naranjas"), which consisted of about fifty second and third graders. The backstretch is a world entirely different than that of the luxurious Arlington Park Racetrack. Each family's apartment is only 330 square feet*! The kids spend half the year at Arlington Park and the other half in Cicero, IL**. Because the school year doesn't correspond exactly with the racing season, the kids are bussed back and forth between the track and schools in Cicero for part of the year-- a three-hour commute, 60 miles round-trip. 

               For many of the backstretch kids, the five-day summer day-camp (made possible by District 214's Community Education program***) offers tons of fun, like the field-trips to the library. There are other reasons the kids enjoy it so much, too. One of "mis naranjas", Ari, told me that she loved the camp because she got to eat three times a day, no matter what.

             Clearly, the backstretch kids are so deserving of anything we can give to them. They are sweet, caring and compassionate, and so grateful for even the most simple of things-- like a new book. Please consider helping the backstretch kids by donating to Catch the Reading Bug, and our campaign to give each of the Kids on Track kids a new book to enjoy. Thank you!

                          

August 2009:                260 new books to Arlington Park's Kids on Track backpack
                                       program for the backstretch kids

August 2010:               270 new books to Arlington Park's Kids on Track backpack
                                       program for the backstretch kids

August 2011:                  300 new books to the Arlington Park's Kids on Track
                                        backpack program for the backstretch kids




* http://www.justice.gov/crt/housing/documents/arlingtonparksettle.php
**  http://www.fcwpta.org/pdf/tribune_02_18_07_Ride to school is a long stretch.pdf
*** https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/37806/arlington-park-settles-federal-housing-lawsuit