INDIANAPOLIS — The spirits of 39 Kokomo foster children were lifted higher than the extreme temperatures as they received backpacks full of books as a part of the "Books for Youth" Backpack Distribution on Wednesday, July 18, 2012. The event was hosted at HAYNES International distribution facility in Kokomo, Indiana.
"Books for Youth" is a statewide program, sponsored by Indianapolis-based Cargo Services Inc. and operated by the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) and the Colts. The program focuses on promoting literacy by providing a personal library of 25 age-appropriate books to every Indiana foster child.
The team mascot, Blue, kicked-off the afternoon with interactive games and an autograph session for the children and their families. Participants also toured the Colts in Motion traveling museum, took pictures with the Super Bowl Trophy and received autographs from Colts Cheerleaders. Representatives from HAYNES International, a Cargo Services Inc. client company, DSC and the Colts then distributed a backpack filled with books to each child to conclude the day's activities.
This event was one of four backpack distributions that Cargo Services will be hosting across the State of Indiana this year.
Throughout the year, Colts fans are invited to support the program through the Buy One, Donate One program. For each special edition BLUE backpack purchased at the Colts Pro Shop, one is donated to the program and distributed to an Indiana foster child. Visit www.colts.com/booksforyouth for details or to purchase a backpack online.
Check out photos from Wednesday's event here.
Additional Notes
About Books for Youth: Now in its sixth year, through a partnership of the Colts, DCS and Cargo Services Inc., the Books for Youth initiative provides foster children in Indiana backpacks filled with 25 age-appropriate books. To date, the Colts and DCS have collected more than 750,000 books for this program and have distributed more than 5,000 backpacks across Indiana. For more information, visit colts.com/booksforyouth.
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