High school students in Macon-Bibb County are doing their part to inspire summer reading through Mercer University’s Upward Bound Program.

Local 10th-graders participating in the program collected nearly 300 gently used children’s books over the past three months to donate to disadvantaged families who may not have Internet access or transportation to the local library.

Upward Bound and the University have teamed up with United Way of Central Georgia to collect these books for the United Way Day of Action book fair this Saturday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., at the Buck Melton Community Center. One of the goals of this event is for each child who attends to receive a book for his or her own personal library.

“I am proud of the administrative staff and our students. The genuineness of our staff in their efforts to motivate and empower each of the students to be their best and move beyond themselves is remarkable,” said Dr. Michelle Currie, director of Mercer’s Federal TRIO Programs, which include Upward Bound. “I want to thank Latanya Foster, who led this project, and the students, who listened to their adviser and desired to help serve the community.”

Upward Bound is a federally funded program that seeks to support participants in their preparation for postsecondary education. The program serves high school students from low-income families and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree. For more information, contact Dr. Currie at (478) 301-2686.