LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Texas Tech and BYU came together for a book drive earlier this month. What they thought was a simple collaboration turned into a major success.
“Getting the word out about literacy is so important. It impacts so much.”
Beth Tucker, a Literacy Lubbock board member, and Kim Marsh, the BYU alumni Lubbock chapter chair, came together to spread the message, even as their two teams met on the field.
“Every away game has a tailgate and it has a Cougs Care service project tied to it,” Marsh said. “As Lubbock alumni, we got together as a chapter and we discussed different needs in the community. The spotlight was shown on Literacy Lubbock and we said this is a fantastic organization, we really want to work with them.”
The collaboration was on full display in the week leading up to BYU’s game versus Texas Tech. Book drive drop-off locations were placed around the city, and the results speak for themselves.
“About 4,500 books were donated and then about 1,800 from the Amazon Wishlist,” Tucker said.
With roughly 6,300 total donations, it’s a total neither side could’ve seen coming.
“On the BYU side of things, they’ve been doing Cougs Care projects for seven years and this is the largest yielding service project that they’ve seen,” Marsh said.
“It’s going to change people’s lives,” Tucker said. “It’s going change children’s lives, it’s going to change their parent’s lives and what they’re able to do for the community.”
While BYU and Texas Tech are now a part of the same conference, this new relationship is turning into one everyone can get behind, and it only looks to grow stronger.
“I mean, it’s incredible,” Tucker said. “Just being able to see where we’ve coming from earlier this year to where we’re going to finish the year, we’re just so thankful for y’all and what you were able to start and spark in our community. Thank you.”
“We feel the same way,” Marsh said. “It’s something that benefits everybody, and we’re grateful for the relationships we’ve made and this path we’ve created to start on.”
To donate or learn more about Literacy Lubbock, visit their site here.
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