Mighty Oaks Giving Libraries
Restoring Hope provides books in sixteen locations across Iowa — from the Polk County Juvenile Justice Center to courthouses well beyond Des Moines.
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 taken for granted by so many of us is a very real struggle for the youth we serve. This is why we maintain and fund the Mighty Oaks Giving Libraries program.
Mighty Oaks Giving Libraries allow juvenile court teams — judges, juvenile court officers, attorneys, and their staff — to award, honor, or simply connect with juveniles through books. The books are used to reward good behavior, acknowledge progress on goals, and celebrate special occasions, such as graduating from a Drug Court program or an adoption. Sometimes they're used simply as a way to connect with the youth.
Our goal is to grow the Mighty Oaks Giving Libraries program to reach every juvenile courtroom in our district, with the potential to expand all across Iowa.
"Reading strengthens our shared humanity."
— Elizabeth Alexander, President, Andrew W. Mellon FoundationBooks Offered
The books offered through our Mighty Oaks Giving Libraries are chosen by industry professionals. They must be intriguing enough to make our youth want to read them, and reflect a diversity of ages and themes — inspiring hope and perseverance, encouraging kids to overcome adversity, and reminding every reader that they are more than just their mistakes.
Sixteen locations, and growing
Six Mighty Oaks Giving Libraries are in Polk County Juvenile Justice Center courtrooms, with a seventh at Drake University's Legal Clinic — and the program now reaches courthouses across Iowa.
