Hundreds of books donated in ‘Free Your Mind’ collection drive

By Deborah Buckhalter

Published: June 30, 2008

The Jackson County Youth Council launched the Operation Free Your Mind Book Drive several weeks ago in hopes of gathering some reading material for young people housed in detention centers.
Council spokesperson Linda Long reports that people all over Jackson County gave.
Thanks to them, the girls housed at the DOVE center in Graceville will have more than than 300 additional books and magazines in their library.
DOVE is a detention center that focuses on vocational training for those housed in the facility.
Long said the book drive was an effort to promote and increase the literacy rate among those housed in juvenile detention centers, and ultimately to help them “free their minds and to eventually break the cycle of youths entering and re-entering detention centers and prisons.”
Long specifically pointed out several special donations that were made in the book drive.
Local author Charlie P. Johnston Jr. donated six copies of his book, “No Such Thing As Luck.”
Shady Grove Baptist Church donated 11 books.
Leola Brinson contributed 26 books.
The Chipola Chapter of the National Society Daughters/Children of the American Revolution donated many books, including a set of World Book encyclopedias. At a collection point at Malone IGA, members of the public donated 118 books, and 213 books were collected at the Marianna Public Library drop point.