Mighty Oaks Giving Libraries

Restoring Hope provides books in seven different libraries.
Six Mighty Oak Giving Libraries are in Polk County Juvenile Justice Center courtrooms with the seventh located at
Drake University’s Legal Clinic.

Books Donated

Giving Libraries

Funds given to Restoring Hope are used directly to purchase books for the Mighty Oaks Giving Libraries.

Have a book that you think fits this category? Tell us about it!

Want to give funds to be used specifically for our Giving Libraries? Donate here.

About our Program

Reading is an open door to the world! Books can take you wherever you want to go and they can teach you whatever you want to learn. At the same time, books can keep a young adult off the street and away from negative influences.

At Restoring Hope, we understand that many juveniles who enter the court system do not have access to books. Something that is taken for granted by so many of us in the USA, is a very real struggle for the youth we serve. Access to quality books is not as simple as one might think. This is why we maintain and fund the Giving Libraries program!

Giving Libraries allow juvenile court teams (judges, juvenile court officers, attorneys, etc.) to award, honor, or just connect with juveniles with books. The books are used to reward good behavior, acknowledge progress on goals, and to celebrate special occasions – such as a graduation from Drug Court programs or adoption. Sometimes they are used simply as a way to connect with the youth.

Currently, Restoring Hope provides books in seven different libraries. Six Mighty Oak Giving Libraries are in Polk County Juvenile Justice Center courtrooms with the seventh located at Drake University’s Legal Clinic. Our goal is to grow the Giving Libraries program to be able to reach every juvenile courtroom in our district, with the potential to be all across Iowa.

The books offered through our Giving Libraries are chosen by industry professionals. They must be intriguing, in a way that makes our youth want to read them. Great care is taken to ensure that the books reflect a diversity of ages and themes. They must inspire hope and perseverance, encourage overcoming adversity and … be fun! Dreaming big and seeing the potential that any future can hold are important themes. It is crucial that our readers know they are more than just their mistakes.

View the Books Offered

You can help make a difference with the power of books

“Reading is a transformative, dignity-affirming act that reveals who we are to ourselves and strengthens our shared humanity.”

~ Elizabeth Alexander, President Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Reading enhances our ability to critically think and examine the world around us, challenging our world view, opening our imagination and creativity, and instilling a sense of hope to envision all that is possible.

We believe that books have the power to bring us closer together and allow us to truly see one another and what we may have experienced—our shared vulnerabilities, shared hopes, and shared dreams.

Storytelling equips and empowers us to see beyond our present condition, the labels placed on us, or the trauma we’ve experienced. Stories remind us that we are not alone in our struggle and that we can rise above and find a way forward.

Our hope is that through the books provided by the Mighty Oaks Library, children will see their inherent worth and gain self-esteem, feel heard and ultimately, inspire for the better.

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