FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Members of the University of Saint Francis Department of Education’s Kappa Delta Pi recently presented a donation of $470 to Krista Layman, Director of Kate’s Kart. The donation to buy books for children in area hospitals was raised through a Bowling for Books event. Kappa Delta Pi members, their friends and family members shared an evening of fun and friendship to support Kate’s Kart.
Krista Layman shared, “Kate’s Kart is thrilled to receive such a generous donation from the University of Saint Francis Department of Education’s Kappa Delta Pi. Kate’s Kart relies on the community to support our mission of brightening the day of hospitalized children. We are so grateful to the students at the University of Saint Francis for thinking of hurting and scared children, and for giving them the books that might fuel their love of reading.”
Kate’s Kart, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2008 in memory of Katherine Anne Layman. In honor of Kate and her love of books, the Layman family started a rolling book cart in the pediatric unit of a local hospital as a way to give back to the medical community that had taken such great care of Kate, and to bring the pleasure of books to other sick children.
The first Kate’s Kart began at Lutheran Hospital in June 2008, just months after Kate’s passing. The organization now provides 29 book carts and 10 book tubs to 20 northeast Indiana hospitals. A team of hospital staff and 100 Kate’s Kart volunteers distribute 3,200-3,500 books each month. Over 200,000 books have been given to children since the beginning of Kate’s Kart.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 70 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the School of Health Sciences, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership and School of Creative Arts. In addition to its traditional programs, USF designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. In 2016, the University of Saint Francis expanded its presence to downtown Fort Wayne. USF Downtown houses the university’s business and music technology programs while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis campus experience includes 16 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships, and is recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution. Approximately 2,300 students from a broad geographic region attend USF.