NEWS RELEASES > JUNE 26, 2024
MCHENRY, June 26, 2024 — McHenry’s Follett Content has made a donation of more than $1,500 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County, the Crystal Lake-based mentoring organization that matches children with adults and professionally supports their relationship. The donation was made possible by proceeds from recent sales at Edythe’s Book Nook, the Follett Content employee bookstore.
A check for $1,541 was recently presented by Britten Follett, CEO, Follett Content, to the non-profit organization’s Anna Buckingham, community-based program manager, and Christina Wolf, development coordinator.
This follows an earlier donation of $550 derived from a separate book sale in early May that Follett Content held on behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County. The event’s timing was to encourage the children in attendance to enhance their home libraries for summer reading.
“Big Brothers Big Sisters has not only been a pillar of our community for more than 30 years,” Follett said, “but it’s near and dear to our company as several Follett team members have long volunteered for the organization.”
Follett Content also has made donations from the employee bookstore to CASA of McHenry County, which trains volunteers to advocate in court for abused and neglected children; and Home of the Sparrow, which provides affordable housing plus rapid re-housing and supportive services that address the core issues of homelessness.
Youth and Family Center of McHenry County and Communities That Care will be the beneficiaries of separate donations later this summer.
Follett added that since Edythe’s Book Nook opened 20 months ago, donations exceeding $15,000 have been made to “impactful organizations aimed at meeting the needs of our most vulnerable community members.”
About Edythe’s Book Nook
Edythe’s Book Nook, the Follett Content 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, Follett Content. Opened in November 2022, the purpose of the employee bookstore is to not only offer books to team members at discounted prices, but to use the proceeds from sales to support the local community.
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