Stonewall Sports Charlotte is excited to announce a new and groundbreaking program, “Diversity Book Drive,” in partnership with our long-lasting community sponsor – Rosedale Health and Wellness. As we have all experienced an uncertain and challenging year it is important to not forget our LGBTQ and ally youth. This group, who cannot see their peers, check out books at school or libraries, and who are managing added stress factors at home, due to COVID, are sometimes overlooked as we think about who is impacted. We feel it is crucial to come together as an LGBTQ+ Ally community to assist in continuing to educate our youth around inclusion, diversity, and anti-bullying.
The Diversity Book Drive will collect books that our committee of community leaders and educators have pre-selected to touch on several topics that children are dealing with today. These hand-selected books on average retail for just $11 and presents a great inexpensive way for YOU to give back to your community and invest in the future of our youth this Holiday season!
So, how does it work?
We have chosen five books to share with the children from January till May of 2021. We have created a comfortable shopping experience on Amazon to easily select the books you wish to purchase/donate, which will be shipped directly to our co-sponsor. The inaugural goal is to serve at least 100 children with each of the five books. We hope to capture the same children to participate in the entire program; this way, they are offered the opportunity to experience all the topics we have selected this year!
Starting in January, we will host small (COVID-approved) reading groups around Charlotte. These readings will happen monthly through May, with a different book offered each month. Parents or guardians will be encouraged to attend a book reading with their child. Open discussion on the topics will occur after each reading, where each child can take home a copy of the book, and the guardians will receive additional teaching tools to help with conversations once home.
Event co-sponsor Rosedale Health and Wellness have offered to MATCH the dollar value of books collected up to $2,500.00! Dr. Cruickshank (Medical Director and Owner of Rosedale) said “We are excited about this initiative with Stonewall Sports Charlotte. Our practice offers the best healthcare to the LGBTQ+ Ally community and now we’re proud to help break the lines of hate and stigma around these social issues with today’s youth.”
Stonewall Sports Charlotte events committee and our Board of Directors are excited to launch this program serving the youth in our community. You can help by buying a single book, multiples, or better yet, if you buy all five books, you will have helped a child through the entire program series! If you have a child in your life, in the Charlotte area, that you would like us to invite to this programming, please email interest to charlotte.events@stonewallsports.org