The Coeur d’Alene Education Partnership is looking forward to a magical evening with community members at the sixth annual fundraiser for the Coeur d’Alene school libraries, Book Clubbing: Wonderland Edition. It has been known as Disco Inferno for the past five years, and CEP is changing the name to focus on the district’s 17 libraries. Don’t be late to dine, dance, and support Coeur d’Alene public school libraries — you are not expected to wear costumes for this event.

The evening begins at 6 p.m. this Saturday at the Coeur d’Alene Eagles Lodge at 209 Sherman Ave. Tickets are $45 per person and can be purchased at www.cdaep.org. Admission includes dinner by Chef Lesa LeBeau, a complimentary drink ticket, and dance-party by Ruby Frog Entertainment.

Rose Backs will emcee the live auction, which will include a Vine and Olive dinner and wine evening, a downtown shopping experience, a catered dinner at the lake home of Pam and Bill Pratt, and other opportunities. Donated funds will be used to purchase books and supplies for each library in the Coeur d’Alene School District.

In the past five years, CEP has raised more than $120,000 for underfunded public school libraries across the Coeur d’Alene School District. School libraries receive no funding from the state and there is little or no budget for libraries from the district, so most school libraries generate their budget from their own fundraisers. The librarians have been elated to have funds to augment their collections and expand their materials and resources. Fundraising to benefit Coeur d’Alene public school libraries fits closely with CEP’s mission: to unite, inform, and promote excellent public education in the Coeur d’Alene community. This event not only recognizes the important role that libraries play in student literacy and academic achievement, but also equally benefits every school in the district.

CEP is anticipating another successful year, thanks to very generous community sponsors: Ginno Construction, Amendola, Doty, and Brumley, Avondale Dental, Bank Cda, Cultivation Counseling, Eagles Club,, Innovia Foundation, Lancaster Market, Living CDA (Conor Hammons), Meltz Extreme Grilled Cheese, North Idaho Title, P1FCU, Parkwood Properties, Perfection Tire, Pulse Productions, Riverstone Orthodontics, Ruby Frog Entertainment, Simply Chiropractic, Tapely Cabinet Works and more. CEP is additionally grateful to individuals, community organizations, and businesses who have contributed time and donations to make this event a success.

School libraries are a place where children grow both as people and as readers. The school librarians need and appreciate community support for their materials. Borah Elementary School librarian Alexis Barlow says, “Last year was my first year as a librarian and your donations were the only funds I had available to purchase books and brain games for our students as I had not had the opportunity to do any fundraisers.” She says that books and brain development activities help students develop a lifetime love for reading and builds their imagination.

Hayden Meadows librarian Julia Scherr says, “What a bummer for kids who get really hooked on a series only to find out the next book is lost! Here comes CEP to save the day. With the funds that are raised each year, I am able to replace lost or damaged books that keep kids reading the books they love!” CEP loves helping young readers build their connection to books.

Older students need the opportunity to do more than engage in video games and social media. Woodland Middle School librarian Marcia Dixon says:

“Without their kind donations, our students would be stuck playing awful video games, misspelling words, and not realizing Katniss, Harry, Auggie, Greg, and Rowley were all wonderfully well written characters long before they were lighting up the silver screen. Without fail, every student who reads books like The Hunger Games finds them superior to the movie, which often times surprises them. CEP is directly responsible for many of those moments. Without the funding, we cannot purchase the books. Without the books, the students have far fewer opportunities to experience the story .... and all that comes with it. Well done CEP. May the odds be ever in your favor!”

CEP is driven by the belief that every student deserves a high-quality, public education. It strives to unite individuals, businesses, and organizations in support of excellence in public education, to keep the community informed about educational developments, and to advocate on a local level. Student literacy rates and academic achievement are significantly affected by student access to strong school library programs with up-to-date, relevant learning materials.

CEP encourages our community to come through the looking glass with us, to invest in this important part of our education system, and show support for making Coeur d’Alene public school libraries a model of excellence.