NEWS RELEASES > MAY 22, 2024
BY FOLLETT CONTENT
MCHENRY, May 23, 2024 — McHenry’s Follett Content raised $550 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County from a recent book sale, held exclusively for the Crystal Lake-based mentoring organization that matches children with adults.
The sale was held at the Follett employee bookstore, Edythe’s Book Nook. Prices for both paperback and hardcover titles started at 3 for $1, and nearly four dozen children and adults made purchases with 100 percent of the proceeds going back to the non-profit organization. Team members — including several who volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County — were on hand at the May 4 event to answer questions and direct children to the books they desired.
“We are thankful for our partnership with Follett Content as we work together to support the youth in our community,” said Haley Draper, marketing manager, Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County. “The Bigs and Littles in our program and our team had a great time learning and connecting together while raising funds for our mentoring programs.”
Edythe’s Book Nook, which opened 19 months ago, has a variety of titles to choose from including classroom books, activity books, and more. The event’s timing was to encourage the children in attendance to enhance their home libraries for summer reading.
The Follett employee bookstore is named in honor of Edythe Benepe, who was a journalist for a Chicago newspaper when in 1901 she met and later married C.W. Follett, founder of Follett Corporation. The couple had four sons, all the while Edythe worked full time running one of the Follett bookstores. Edythe is the great-great-grandmother to Britten Follett, CEO of Follett Content Solutions.
“At Follett, we're passionate about getting books into the hands of children, and this was a perfect fit to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County,” Britten Follett said. “With the opening of Edythe's Book Nook in November 2022, we've been able to share the love of reading with the children in our team members' lives.”
With a mission of making a positive impact on the lives of educators, students and society at large, Follett has a decades-long history of supporting the communities it serves through charitable giving, volunteer efforts, and more. Whether donating books annually to Bernie’s Book Bank in Lake Bluff, partnering with area non-profit organizations during the pandemic to hold a free diaper drive, providing college scholarships to local students, and much more, Follett is committed to giving back.
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