Atlantis, Paradise Island is inviting everyone to get into the holiday spirit and give a new or gently used favourite children’s book in support of its annual Holiday Book Drive benefitting the Atlantis Against Illiteracy initiative.

The endeavour, which is being spearheaded by the Atlantis Library and Scotiabank, is set for November 23rd from 11:00am to 3:00pm at the entrance to Kelly’s House and Home in the Mall at Marathon.

The aim is to collect as many books as possible in an effort to at the very least put a dent in the illiteracy problem in The Bahamas.

“We are asking people throughout our communities to donate at least one book so that we can in turn pass those books on to the various primary school libraries and help to further expose our youngsters to the wonderful worlds that reading and the imagination can create,” said Stephaney Davis, Librarian at the Atlantis Library and organizer of the book drive.

Persons interested in participating in the cause can bring a book that is in good condition or buy a new one from Kelly’s.

Anyone who donates can enter to win a Scotiabank gift basket or dinner for two at Atlantis, Paradise Island. Those who purchase a book from Kelly’s can also enter to win a separate Kelly’s Holiday Gift Basket.

The Atlantis Against Illiteracy initiative has grown since its launch in October 2012, leading efforts to raise over 1,000 books, which have been donated to local primary schools.

According to Ms. Davis, 20 per cent of the local population are said to have ‘below basic’ skills and are unable to read or even fill out a job application.

“We want to decrease this statistic and we feel the key to this goal lies with our youth,” she said.

“We want our kids to succeed and this book drive effort is just one of several initiatives that we hope will catch on in pursuit of our goal.”