Book Drive: Please read letter below from Johna Edmonds, 2012 Miss Garner

Dear Parents, Teachers, and Students,


I am Johna Alexandria Edmonds, Miss Garner 2012, and a senior at North Carolina State University majoring in Accounting with a concentration in Financial Analysis and a minor in Spanish Language and Literatures. I am so excited to partner with your school, Banks Road Elementary School, to be involved with Miss Garner’s IMPACT Book Drive.

As a contestant for Miss North Carolina and eventually Miss America, I have adopted the platform of Literacy in America’s Youth. One of the various projects that I have created in promotion of my platform is the Miss Garner’s IMPACT book drive, for which I have set a goal of raising 10,000 books to donate to both UNC Chapel Hill and Duke Children’s hospital, collectively.

With that being said, I graciously ask that you partner with me by bringing in children’s books, grades K-6, new or gently handled, to donate to this important cause, and in turn help me touch the lives of the children who occupy the beds of these hospitals. The deadline for the donation of books will be May 31, 2012. For the class that donates the most books, I will provide a pizza party, a school visit, and reading time with me in order to show my appreciation for all of your efforts in helping me to make reading more accessible to all youth regardless of race, religion, socioeconomic status, or health disparity.

Being that your school has only two donation boxes, it will be imperative that you always help your teachers keep a running count before putting your books in the drop box. I am incredibly honored to partner with such a distinguished elementary school, and am absolutely thrilled to meet and get to know each and everyone of you! I thank you in advance for your time and willingness to assist with this rewarding cause.

All the very best,

Johna A. Edmonds