The CAHEC Foundation is teaming up with the Chatham Education Foundation, located in Pittsboro, NC, to help up-fit their bookmobile this year. The bookmobile, which helps bridge the summer learning gap for youth and young adults, is designed to target families that may not have transportation to get to their local libraries during the summer. 

Research has shown that during the summer months, disadvantaged children tend to fall even further behind in school because they are not given the opportunity to attend summer enrichment programs. Cost of programming, as well as a lack of transportation, plays a big role in preventing students from learning during the summer. The bookmobile helps eliminate these problems by bringing educational resources directly to the communities where these students live. 

To help up-fit the bookmobile, the CAHEC Foundation provided funding to upgrade and/or replace books, to purchase books to give away as gifts, and to have prizes and incentives for students that participate. "This is such an incredible resource for students to have," explained Stefanie Lee, Community Relations Specialist for CAHEC. "Part of our mission is to provide educational opportunities to low-income students in our footprint and the bookmobile is bringing these tools right to their doorsteps. We're so proud to be part of this initiative!"