“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.”  — Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

The 16th Annual Cooper Reading Challenge, which was created to help instill the love of reading in children of the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley, is under way. In the past 15 years, local individuals and businesses donated more than $80,000. More than 3,200 children have had the opportunity to select, purchase and enjoy their own books through this program.

Each year, nearly 200 Boys & Girls Club children earned the privilege of selecting one or more books at Barnes & Noble bookstore in Calabasas, all funded through community donations.

This fall, Club children have been reading age-appropriate books and will write a review in order to qualify for a trip to Barnes & Noble. At the bookstore, each child will have $25 to spend on one or more books for themselves or family members. Members of the San Fernando Valley business and civic community donate $25 for each child they want to sponsor.

“This program is about teaching children to love and value books and reading,” said Martin Cooper, president of Cooper Communications and past chairman of the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley. “We are very grateful to those who have contributed to this program in the past and invite those who see the importance of literacy to support it this year. Reading is a lifelong gift; it opens up the world, ignites the imagination and is a proven cornerstone of success,” says Cooper.

Sponsors for this event include SoCal Gas, as well as media sponsors, Daily News and the Valley News Group.