An incredible 200,000 books donated to students

Glencore and Books in Homes Australia have reached a major milestone by providing the 200,000^th book to school students as part of its 17-year, $1.62 million partnership.

That’s enough books to fill eight libraries the same size as the Mount Isa City Library.

To mark the milestone, Glencore held a celebration at Camooweal State School where the 200,000^th book was delivered.

Justin Armstrong, Superintendent - Fixed Plant Maintenance and Operations from George Fisher Mine delivered the books to the Camooweal State School students and spent time reading with the children.

Each year, Glencore and Books in Homes Australia deliver 13,700 books to school students in North West Queensland for them to take home and foster a love of reading.

The program encourages educational development in reading and writing during the crucial early years of primary school.

Peter Large, CEO of Books in Homes Australia, congratulated Glencore on reaching the milestone.

“On behalf of our Australia-wide Books in Homes community, congratulations to Glencore for their ongoing generosity and support over the past 17 years,” says Peter.

“Having personally experienced the delivery of Glencore’s Books in Homes programs in and around Mount Isa, I have witnessed first-hand the joy those books bring to children and their families, the depth of appreciation shown to Glencore for their sponsorship, and the value placed on the books by the school communities.”

“Two hundred thousand books is an incredible accomplishment, and one we are very pleased to share with Glencore. Two hundred thousand books and still going strong demonstrates the value Glencore places in investing in the future of their communities and, in particular, the children of those communities.”

“Thank you, Glencore, for your dedication to helping improve the lives of many thousands of children over the past 17 years!”

Maryann Wipaki, General Manager for Health, Safety, Environment and Community for Zinc Assets Australia says Glencore Queensland Metals is excited to have reached this amazing milestone.

“We’re excited for having delivered 200,000 books to students in North West Queensland schools,” Maryann says.

“We encourage our team to attend book giving assemblies and make guest appearances at story time readings in schools, to share their love of reading with the students.”

“Thanks to the initiative, teachers are happy to report that learning outcomes have improved, as well as school attendance.”