Chicago Public Library Foundation Receives $1 Million Gift from the Shirley H. and Benjamin Z. Gould Family Foundation for Teacher in the Library After-School Homework Help

October 20, 2008

The Gould Family Foundation was established through gifts from Benjamin Z. Gould and his wife Shirley H. Gould of Wilmette, IL and Boca Raton, FL.  Mr. Gould was a founding partner of Gould & Ratner LLP, the Chicago-based law firm.  Mr. Gould died in 1986.  Mrs. Gould died in 2004.  It was her wish that assets of the Foundation benefit children and the elderly. Richard Singler, one of the four Directors of the Foundation, noted that “education was always a very high priority for Mrs. Gould.  She was very concerned to see children not reach their potential.  She would be very pleased to see the Foundation support such a beneficial program as the Teachers in the Library.”         

Accredited teachers are available during after-school hours in many neighborhood branches of the Chicago Public Library.  Most teachers live or work in the communities they serve and help area children complete homework assignments, become more focused on their studies, and improve their classroom performance.  The teachers also provide support, counsel and advocacy for the parents and caregivers of participating children.  Some parents are unable to assist their children in completing homework assignments because of their own limited English language and academic proficiency. To better communicate with parents and students in explaining homework assignments and strategies for completing assignments, some Teachers in the Library are fluent in Spanish and Polish.         

The Teacher in the Library program began in 2000 with funding for six branch libraries.  This significant gift from the Gould Family Foundation, combined with generous gifts from individuals, corporations and foundations to the Chicago Public Library Foundation, will support teachers in 50 of the Library’s branch locations in the current school year.  The Chicago Public Library and the Chicago Public Library Foundation share a goal of expanding the program to all of the city’s 79 Library locations by 2010.-###-

The Chicago Public Library, established in 1872, is one of the nation’s premier library systems.  The Library serves Chicagoans from its 79 welcoming neighborhood locations, providing rich collections of books, state of the art technology and award-winning literary programs.  The Library’s Mission is to promote the freedom of all people to read, to learn and to discover.   www.chipublib.org.