Washington, DC-(Monday, July 16, 2012) –The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)recently announced a $15,000 grant for the Friends of the Dallas Public Library through the agency’s “Big Read” initiative, which is designed to “restore reading to the center of American culture.” The funds will enable the library to host Big Read projects, where people can come together to explore literature from the United States and around the world. The Friends of the Dallas Public Library will use these funds for the reading of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

“Promoting literacy is absolutely critical for our youth, and the Big Read initiative will help to spur interest among our Nation’s children and their families,” Congresswoman Johnson said. “I am pleased to see these funds going towards such an important cause here in Dallas.”

The NEA Big Read grant will go to 78 organizations across 30 states, totaling $1 million.

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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a senior member of the Science Committee. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which, includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Turtle Creek,Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.