Torres Kicks Off Back to School Week With Grant Announcement and Book Drop at Ontario Library

ONTARIO, CA – Today Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-Pomona) kicked off a week of Back-to-School events at Ontario City Library where she congratulated the Library on its recently awarded $10,000 federal grant and dropped off boxes of books donated by the Library of Congress.

"As our kids get ready to head back to class, it's my privilege to be able to help our local library get the resources it needs to better serve our young people and our community as a whole," said Torres. "Through the books donated from the Library of Congress and the grant for the Library's teen book festival and summer reading program, Ontario City Library will continue to inspire kids and teens to grow their minds and explore the world through a lifelong love of reading."

With the support of Rep. Torres, the National Endowment of the Arts recently awarded a $10,000 Arts Engagement in American Communities (AEAC) grant to support a teen book festival, community heritage and culture festival, and summer reading program. Torres also provided the library with 50 books from the Library of Congress's collection.

In addition to the visit to Ontario City Library, this week Torres will host a series of meetings with parents, educators, support staff, and school superintendents. She will also attend rallies at Sultana Elementary and Chaffey High School, and will take part in Cal Poly Pomona's Professional Clothing Drive.

"With students across the 35th District heading back to the classrooms, I wanted to take this week to bring increased attention to the impressive strides our educational institutions have made and to closely examine the challenges they still face," continued Torres. "Through the hard work of our local schools, colleges, and libraries and the innovative services they're developing, we're laying the groundwork for student success and building the diverse, dynamic local workforce the Inland Empire economy depends on."