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Council waives community‑center fee for local literacy fundraiser
Summary
The council approved a fee waiver for Building Lives Through Reading’s April 20 fundraiser after a resident‑founder described the program’s volunteer model and service to three high‑poverty Des Moines schools and its $20,000–$30,000 annual budget.
The Windsor Heights City Council on March 2 approved Resolution No. 202615 to waive community‑center fees for Building Lives Through Reading’s April 20, 2026 fundraiser after the organization’s founder addressed the council during the public forum.
The resident speaker, identified in the meeting as Miss Peterson, said the volunteer‑run nonprofit delivers roughly 11,000 books a year and works in three of Des Moines’s highest‑poverty schools (Capitol View, Carver and Edmonds). She described a budget of about $20,000–$30,000 a year, said volunteers personalize books with each child’s name and noted the program helps families with limited English proficiency.
Council members asked whether the fundraiser would expand services to additional schools and how the organization secures multiyear commitments; Miss Peterson said one school has a 10‑year commitment from a donor and the Iowa Lutheran Hospital Auxiliary and the group prefers multi‑year commitments before expanding to new schools.
After the exchange the council voted to approve the fee waiver. The resolution lowers the event’s operating cost for the nonprofit; the council did not appropriate additional funds to the group in this meeting.
