Rose Pest Solutions continues partnership with Bernie’s Book Bank

Left to right: L to R: Janelle Iaccino, Rose Pest Solutions; Skates, Chicago Wolves Mascot; and Darrin Utynek, CEO of Bernie’s Book Bank hold a check for a donation to Bernie’s Book Bank. PHOTO: ROSE PEST SOLUTIONS

Chicago, Ill.-Rose Pest Solutions will partner with Northwestern University and Chicago Wolves for the fourth year in a row to raise awareness for literacy and to help get books to those in underserved communities through Bernie’s Book Bank.

Janelle Iaccino, a bug expert with Rose Pest Solutions, said the company wants to help facilitate stronger, smart kids in the community it serves.

“There’s a fragile window of childhood where you can make a difference through reading physical books,” Iaccino said. “We want to be a part of that.”

The Books for Buckets campaign was created by Northwestern Athletics and Rose Pest Solutions in 2018 to help promote literary. During the past two fall and winter sport seasons, Northwestern Men’s Basketball and Rose Pest Solutions partnered together to host community book drives, fan contests, three-pointer donations and other activities. Book for Buckets promotes literacy in several ways.

For every three-pointer during Northwestern men’s basketball home games, Rose Pest Solutions donates a set of 12 books through Bernie’s Book Bank.

During the basketball season, for every six books donated, donors will receive a Northwestern men’s basketball ticket. Donations can be given at Rose Pest Solution locations in Chicago, Wheeling, Northfield and Lombard, Ill. So far, 17,582 books have been donated through Books for Buckets.

Each year, donations have succeeded the previous year. In the 2020-2021 football postseason, Rose Pest Control ran an extension to Books for Buckers called “Books for Boots,” where the company donated 12 books for each extra point or field goal made by Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship game and the Citrus Bowl. This resulted in an additional 84 books donated.

During the 2020-21 basketball season, the Books for Buckers campaign pivoted to virtual literacy program to encourage at-home reading among kids in grades K-8 who were home during the pandemic. All participants who read age-appropriate books during November 2020 had the opportunity to receive Northwestern Athletics and Rose Pest Solution giveaways and special discounts from local businesses.

More than 240 students in the Chicago area participated in the 2020 virtual literacy reading program and read 1,718 books throughout the month of November. The program was so popular during the pandemic that it will return in spring 2022 even though students are back in school. This year, Rose Pest Solution plans to reach hundreds of more students in the surround area.

Rose Pest Control is also encouraging families to participate in the Score for Charity program with the Chicago Wolves. For every save the Wolves goalie makes, Rose Pest Solutions will donate a set of books to Bernie’s Book Bank. In exchange for book donations throughout the season, donors will receive Wolves tickets.

“We recently presented two checks to Bernie’s, one from our program with NU Sports for $2,400 and one from our program with the Wolves for $2,100 for the last seasons with them,” Iaccino said. “It feels so good to be a part of such an awesome community effort.”