ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Two dedicated Albuquerque educators are helping boost literacy at Albuquerque Public Schools by donating $100,000 to establish the “Van Dongen Books Kids Want to Read Fund” through the APS Education Foundation.
Retired University of New Mexico professor Richard Van Dongen made the donation earlier this month and created the fund in honor of his late wife, Barbara Chamberlin Van Dongen, and their lifelong partnership in education. Van Dongen also pledged a portion of his legacy gift to support the fund, APS said.
“This is an extraordinary gift for our students,” said APS Superintendent Gabriella Durán Blakey. “Literacy is the foundation for everything we do, and this donation will help us engage students and foster their love of reading. Words cannot express how grateful we are to the Van Dongens for this generous gift.”…