WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill) today announced that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded Big Read grants to the Edwardsville Public Library and The Academy of Lifelong Learning at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield.
The Edwardsville Public Library has been awarded $10,300 and their reading selection is Circe. The Academy of Lifelong Learning at LLCC received $15,000 and will read Lab Girl.
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The NEA awarded 84 grants nationally. The Big Read program brings communities together around the shared activity of reading and discussing a book. The funds are used to form and administer community reading groups. Learn more about the program here.
“These grant awards will help bring people and communities together around a common interest of reading books and learning from one another,” Davis said. "Congratulations to these local libraries on their success in obtaining this federal funding to expand their offerings."
"We have become even more aware this year of the important ways the arts help us connect with others, and how they bring meaning, joy, and comfort to our lives,” said Mary Anne Carter, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “These 84 organizations leading NEA Big Reads will provide opportunities for deep discussion and ways to help us better understand one another.”
