A free children’s library is coming to “Lincoln Center”

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) – The second annual “Cops N’ Kids” community book drive will take place at KWQC-TV6 on June 24 from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Quad Cities Chapter of Cops N’ Kids was developed through a partnership with Lincoln Center and the Davenport Police Department in 2021.

Some of the books donated during the book drive will fill some of the shelves of a new free children’s library being built inside Lincoln Center.

“I wasn’t expecting almost 4,000 pounds (laughs). We had a whole room full of books.

This is the result of last year’s first cops n’ kids community book drive.

Lincoln Center and the Davenport Police Department have partnered to create the Quad Cities chapter of “Cops N’ Kids”.

“It was the perfect partnership with them to be able to get out into the community, share books with the kids, develop positive relationships, and try to change that narrative when it comes to literacy in the Quad Cities Black community,” said said Tracy Singleton, executive director of Lincoln Center.

Collected books are transferred to Lincoln Center where they are sorted and distributed.

Once a month, Davenport Police officers collect books to distribute to children in the community.

Agent Kevin Carver is part of DPD’s Community Impact Team and shares a success story from last year.

“We saw a family at Lincoln Center. A young woman and her daughter were just sitting in the car waiting for another child to come out of Lincoln Center. We approached them, we gave them a book and we continued to unload, and we saw that when we were unloading, the mother was already reading a book to this baby,” Carver said.

Some of the books donated this year will remain at Lincoln Center for many programs throughout the year, including a free summer reading program for kindergarten through third graders.

“That’s where we have the biggest drop in reading skill. So, starting next week, parents can come here and get a bag full of ten books for their children to read over the summer,” Singleton said.

Later in July, a new free children’s library will open at Lincoln Center.

“For this space, we want to create it so that they love coming to this space and love sitting at the little table or love sitting in the bean bag chair so they develop a love of reading,” said said Singleton.

Quad City Arts donated money to bring a mural and furniture to the library.

“It’s about a six-foot walk-through mural and it’s beautiful, so we’re really excited about that and the furniture that’s going into the library as well,” Singleton said.

Everything to encourage more children to read.

“If ‘Cops N’ Kids’ is just a means. If our free library is just a means, then we’re adding to the challenge of getting books into children’s homes,” Singleton said.

The free library will be accessible to all children and families. Books can be taken home to become part of home libraries.

If you are unable to make it to TV6’s book drive and would like to donate, Tracy Singleton is accepting donations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at Lincoln Center, located at 318 N. 7th Street in Davenport.

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