In 2018, the Roderick Jacobs from the Rotary Club of Bloemfontein-Raadzaal contacted OFM News manager Cathy Dlodlo about the plight of Katamelo Intermediate School in Botshabelo.
The school had a library but needed books. The Rotary Club then challenged OFM to see who can get the most books, which resulted in the station starting the '#ForTheLoveOFBooks' campaign on social media platforms.
When Free State Education MEC Tate Makgoe heard about the campaign, he decided to join as well as other stakeholders such as Albany Bakeries, Transnet and Immanuel Fellowship Centre.
Cathy Dlodlo, OFM News manager, says, "We provided the organisers with access to our news and social media platforms so that members of the Bloemfontein community would be able to find out about it and contribute to it."
"The MEC had the bright idea, and we simply made it happen. We are proud to have been a part of something as great as this [initiative] and hope that it will be remembered for years to come and grow a love for reading and books," adds Dlodlo.
Makgoe says, "I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that took part in this project. I’d like to thank all the stakeholders, from OFM, Transnet, Rotary Club and Albany Bakeries. I hope that we’ll take care of these libraries and consider them as an investment for future generations to come as we produce more leaders from this school."
The school learners received a truck of bread form Albany Bakeries, a box full of fiction and non-fictional books from OFM and other stakeholders, as well as a small treat.
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