Our Donations by State
2021 - 2022 Donations
COnnecticut
Big Red Book Truck is a mobile bookstore that celebrates the "culture," by providing children with a literary experience centered around people of color. “Bringing the bookstore to the block.”
new york
Grandma Dawn is on a mission to get books into the hands of kids in Harlem, NY who don’t have access to books. We’re so thrilled we could play a small part in making that happen by donating 50 brand new diverse and inclusive books to support her forthcoming bookmobile, Grandma’s Promise.
Massachusetts
Read Boston Founded in 1995, ReadBoston is the City’s only comprehensive early literacy program, reaching Boston’s children at all points in their day, all year long. They provide schools, childcare programs, community-based organizations, and families in low-income and new-immigrant communities with the resources they need to set Boston’s children on the path to reading success.
new jersey
New Jersey Lit Association is group of teachers with a mission to empower educators, inspire students, and encourage leaders with the resources they need to make literacy accessible for all.
Website
rhode island
Adoption Rhode Island is a private nonprofit organization whose mission is to create safety, belonging and permanency for adopted and foster children, vulnerable youth, and families through compassionate services, advocacy, and education.
Our donated books will be used for their annual holiday drive and given away to foster and adopted children in the state of Rhode Island.
Website
delaware
Kent County Public Library serves the citizens of Kent County, Delaware, & operates a mobile library that visits each Levy Court District weekly.
Read Aloud Delaware The Read Aloud Delaware experience sets children on the road to literacy success.
pennsylvania
Cradles to Crayons Their mission is to provide children from birth through age 12 with the everyday essentials they need to thrive — at home, at school, and at play.
arkansas
Miss University of Arkansas For this donation, we collaborated with Miss University of Arkansas, Taryn Bewley who will be competing in the 56th annual Miss University of Arkansas pageant. Her platform is literacy. She will be distributing our donated books throughout Arkansas to kids in need of books.
texas
Birthday Bash Box gifts children in under-served communities around the Greater Houston Area a Literacy and Social-Emotional learning experience through birthday celebrations.
california
Equity Through Literacy believes in fostering parental involvement in organic reading practices in order to increase children's onset literacy skills before the school-age years and through their academic trajectory.
North carolina
Book Harvest provides an abundance of books and ongoing literacy support to families and their children from birth and serves as a model for communities committed to ensuring that children are lifelong readers and learners.
vermont
Vermont After School is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that the children and youth in every Vermont community can benefit from the power of afterschool, summer learning, and third space programs during the out-of-school time hours.
hawaii
Girl Scouts of Hawaii Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges.
minnesota
Eastern Heights Elementary Eastern Heights Elementary celebrates inclusion of the rich cultural diversity of our students and their families each day. They focus on Restorative Practices, Culturally Relevant Teaching, and Integrating Technology into our academic instruction to Personalize Learning for each child.
Website
new hampshire
CLIF (Children’s Literacy Foundation) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire a love of reading and writing among children up to age 12 throughout New Hampshire and Vermont. Since 1998, CLiF has served 250,000 low-income, at-risk, and rural children in 400 communities across every region of the Twin States.
Website
michigan
Literacy for Kids primary mission is to introduce the concept that reading is connected to the arts. Beat, rhythm, and illustrations behind the words can make the task of learning more interesting. Their vision is a world where curious children celebrate the art in literacy.
Website
south carolina
South Carolina Center for Community Literacy Since 1992, they’ve worked to improve literacy rates in South Carolina and beyond. Their center is the state’s designated examination site for new children’s and YA books, which are available to the public. Their staff provides a range of outreach activities that address literacy issues in their communities.
Website
florida
Boys and Girls Club Miami-Dade has been serving youth in the community since 1946. What once was a single building and recreation field for boys, has grown to five Clubs that serve more than 8,000 boys and girls year-round. They believe every child deserves an opportunity to thrive and succeed.
Website
nevada
Spread the Word Nevada is a children’s literacy nonprofit, dedicated to advancing early childhood literacy by placing books into the hands and homes of children within Nevada’s at-risk, low income communities.
Website
virginia
Reach Reads is a volunteer organization that promotes literacy for children who are at-risk and homeless throughout Coastal Virginia. Through their programs, advocates/volunteers spend time with children in various settings, reading and providing fun interactions and activities. REACH programming now serves eleven area homeless and domestic violence family shelters and 120+ community partners/initiatives!
Website
2019 - 2020 Donations
COnnecticut (september 2019)
With over 600 students enrolled in grades pre-K through 8, Roosevelt Elementary is a full service school with a nurse practitioner, a social workers, and psychologists that are available to assist all students along with teaches and the education staff. Their students reflect the rich, diverse community that they serve. They are dedicated to providing the highest quality education for all students through a rigorous arts-integrated academic program, a comprehensive support system, and a philosophy that centers on the child as an artist and an individual.
indiana (september 2019)
A very generous author (who wanted to remain anonymous) donated 50 copies of her book to Mary E. Castle Elementary School in Indianopolis, Indiana on our behalf. That donation helped us complete the state of Indiana.
Website
arkansas (OCTOBER 2019)
Thirty-Fourth Avenue Elementary School is a K - 5 public school located in Pine Bluff, AR. We appreciate our friends at AR Kids Read for helping us find this deserving school in the state of Arkansas.
georgia (NOVEMBER 2019)
Fred A. Toomer Elementary School has a vision to be a caring school embracing community, respect, honesty and hard work. Through inquiry and intercultural understanding, they educate and challenge students to reach their full potential in our global society.
Website
new york (NOVEMBER 2019)
New Bridges Elementary School empowers every child to learn and to grow into his or her best self--intellectually, creatively, socially, and emotionally. New Bridges is both an achievement-centered, academically rigorous environment driven by high expectations for our learners, and a holistic community school, focused on the development of the whole child through the active engagement of our families;
the integration of the Arts; and the social and
emotional education of our students.
Website
florida (december 2019)
Coral Springs Elementary School is a Title I school in Coral Springs, Florida which serves students in grades Pre-K - 8. Broward County Public Schools are committed to educating students to reach their highest potential.
maryland (january 2020)
The Maryland Book Bank is a nonprofit organization committed to cultivating literacy in children from under-resourced neighborhoods.
In September 2016, they partnered with The Baltimore Ravens to start a bookmobile. The bookmobile provides the important component of choice for children, allowing them to select and keep the books that interest them most.
pennsylvania (march 2020)
Reading Recycled gives new and gently used books to families, shelters, schools, laundromats and pantries—any place a child may want to read. They work in partnership with The Book Bank.
The Book Bank, run by Reading Recycled, helps teachers and the community get books and resources for the children they serve. Educators are able to get up to 375 books per school year, as well as supplemental classroom supplies.
tennessee (april 2020)
Culture Books Chattanooga is a literacy passionate nonprofit. Their goal is to increase cultural awareness, while teaching kids how to read with confidence, starting with the foundation.
OKLAHOMA (JUNE 2020)
Reading Partners Tulsa mission is to help children become lifelong readers by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction with measurable results. They fundamentally believe the ability to read transforms lives and changes outcomes for children and communities.
sOuth carolina (JUNE 2020)
Eagle Nest Elementary School provides a nurturing environment that encourages relationships, rigor, and relevance for their diverse learning community to grow and succeed.
washington DC (JUNE 2020)
Two Rivers Public Charter School has a mission to nurture a diverse group of students to become lifelong, active participants in their own education, develop a sense of self and community, and become responsible and compassionate members of society.
NORTH CAROLINA (JULY 2020)
Saddle Up and Read has created a library of books which feature Black equestrians. Their program is committed to encouraging youth to read.
They are a 501c3 non-profit organization located in Wendell, North Carolina.
IDAHO (JULY 2020)
Bickel Elementary School was the very first school in Twin Falls, Idaho. It houses a small, yet diverse community of about 45 faculty and staff, 300 students, and has over six languages spoken. At Bickel, they pride ourselves on family atmosphere, where students and staff are eager to come to school every day.
texas (JULY 2020)
DeSoto Public Library provides books, materials, programs and services to residents of all ages to assist in their pursuit of information and resources to meet their educational, cultural, recreational and professional or vocational needs. In 2019, they received the 2019 Achievement of Library Excellence Award from the Texas Municipal Library Director's Association (TMLDA).
ohio (august 2020)
Elohim Academy is a new non-profit organization that specializes in home education.
illinois (september 2020)
University of Chicago Center for Literacy is a public service and research center that works to improve literacy education, policy, and research at the local, state, and national levels. They work with families and communities to promote educational equity through multi-generational literacy programming, research, and advocacy.
Website
New Jersey (October 2020)
Booksmiles is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that gives underserved children in New Jersey, Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs the opportunity to build personal libraries, starting at infancy. They focus on providing students and younger siblings with high-quality books, thereby laying the groundwork for great literacy skills before and during the elementary school years. They also provide educators, especially those serving Title 1 schools, with unlimited books for their classroom libraries as well as for their students' personal collections
Wisconsin (OCTOBER 2020)
Madison Reading Project delivers high-quality, literacy learning, reinforcement programs to underserved children, by engaging them in differentiated literacy activities designed to create not only a love of learning, but build and reinforce age-appropriate skills needed to develop the young reader.
Website
california (november 2020)
Malik Books is an independent African American Bookstore that specializes in books, African American calendars, and African American gifts full of cultural diversity. Their selection of products has help create a positive impact on self reflection, self esteem, and self awareness.
oregon (november 2020)
The Children’s Book Bank The mission of The Children's Book Bank is to increase the chances for children to succeed as future readers, learners, and citizens by filling their homes and lives with quality books.
Since becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2008, The Children’s Book Bank has organized over 10,000 community volunteers to channel over 650,000 books into the hands and homes of over 50,000 children in need in the Portland area.
Website
Massachusetts (november 2020)
Read by 4th Grade is a community-wide early literacy initiative in Springfield, Massachusetts. They bring people together to learn, share, and advocate for the early literacy skills necessary for success in school and in life.
Website
MaINE (november 2020)
Maine Needs strives to help individuals and families in Maine meet their basic, material needs by providing donated clothing, hygiene products, household items, books, and other necessities in an environment of dignity and compassion. They focus their work on those starting life over from scratch: domestic abuse survivors, asylum seekers and those facing financial hardships. They partner with schools, caseworkers, nurses and nonprofits to provide these material resources.
Website
hawaii (november 2020)
Hawaii Literacy's five programs focus on those with the lowest literacy skills and help disadvantaged children prepare for and succeed in school, give adults a second chance to learn to read and write, and train hundreds of literacy volunteers to teach in our communities. They provide books, mentors, literacy promotion, and the skills needed to break cycles of poverty and under-education.
arizona (november 2020)
Make a Way for Books is an early literacy nonprofit that provides proven programs, services, and resources to 30,000 young children, parents, and educators throughout southern Arizona each year. Our mission is to give all children the chance to read and succeed.
alaska (november 2020)
Talkeetna Public Library is located about 2 miles from downtown, and serves three Upper Susitna Valley communities – Chase, Talkeetna, and Susitna North (aka the Y, or Sunshine) – as well as remote homes along the Alaska Railroad and along the Talkeetna, Susitna, and Chulitna Rivers. The library provides various resources and programs to change lives and build community.
montana (december 2020)
Family Promise is a community of 26 Billings faith-based congregations and over 1400 volunteers that put their faith into action to provide meals, shelter, and a safe, non-judgmental environment for families experiencing homelessness.
nebraska (december 2020)
Mercy City Church At this church they believe believe that Everyone. Always. Belongs. They exist to connect people to the Heart of God and the House of God.
Since Mercy City Church began in 2015 they have done everything possible for people to feel like they belong, regardless of their past experiences.
west virginia (december 2020)
Putnam County Library strives to continue to bring innovative and entertaining programming, collections, and technology to the community. The library system is heavily utilized for informational and recreational reading materials, curriculum support, Internet access, meeting rooms, and community programs for adults, teens, and children.
louisiana (december 2020)
Mount Zion First Baptist Church aims to empower God's servants to grow towards spiritual maturity; and to engage in fellowship and understanding of the church, home, community, and the world.
kansas (december 2020)
Mission Southside is not a church, but partners with churches, “helps” organizations, businesses, and individuals to bring hope to Johnson County, KS through the meeting of both physical and spiritual needs.
rhode island (december 2020)
Books Are Wings programs expose children from low-income families to literacy-rich reading materials. Books Are Wings typically puts thousands of books into children's hands throughout the year. They also host early learning book parties, community distribution events and summer programs.
Website
vermont (december 2020)
Jeudevine Memorial Library stands almost exactly as it did when it was donated to Hardwick in 1896, in memory of a beloved husband and son.
Website
new hampshire (december 2020)
Believe in Books The mission of the Believe in Books Literacy Foundation is to advance healthy development of young minds through literacy programs that encourage early reading, imagination, and physical activity. The Literacy Foundation is a Charitable 501(c)(3) Non-Profit guided by the needs and involvement of the communities of which it serves.
Website
wyoming (december 2020)
Teton Literacy Center defines literacy as proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, listening, problem solving, and critical thinking. They believe that a family literacy approach is the most effective way of achieving our vision of a 100% literate community.
Website
delaware (december 2020)
Read Aloud Delaware The Read Aloud Delaware experience sets children on the road to literacy success.
Website
nevada (december 2020)
Spread the Word Nevada is a children’s literacy nonprofit, dedicated to advancing early childhood literacy by placing books into the hands and homes of children within Nevada’s at-risk, low income communities.
Website
new mexico (december 2020)
Casa Esperanza provides appropriate housing and emotional support for patients and their families who reside temporarily in Albuquerque while the patient receives medical treatment. Casa Esperanza’s families come to us from all backgrounds and income levels, but they share one thing in common – each family is facing fear and emotional upheaval.
Website
colorado (december 2020)
Children’s Literacy Center is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that provides free one-to-one tutoring to elementary school children reading below grade level.
Website
washington (august 2021)
Martin Sortun Elementary School
Michigan (august 2021)
Southwest Elementary School
virginia (august 2021)
Prince William County Public School
alabama (august 2021)
Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools Elementary
During the 2018 - 2019 school year we did it!
We helped close the literacy gap and filled the map!
”Close the gap, fill the map!”
Check out our complete list of 50 places we gave book donations to during the 2018 - 2019 school year.
COnnecticut & New York (August 2018)
New Haven Reads (Connecticut)
Founded to “share the joy and power of reading,” New Haven Reads increases the literacy skills of children to empower their academic success by providing individually tailored one-on-one after-school tutoring, educational family support, and a community book bank, all at no cost to participants.
World of Inquiry School #58 (New York)
World of Inquiry School 58 is a K-12 Expeditionary Learning (EL) School nationally recognized as a Mentor School for Expeditionary Learning serving primarily an African American community.
Their school is on a journey to build a more diverse, and culturally relevant classroom and school library. Their teachers and librarian place a large significance of searching for books with African Americans and their contributions to display representation. World of Inquiry believes it is essential for students to see someone that looks like them as they are learning to maintain engagement and to learn about their history.
Website
Massachusetts & Rhode Island (August 2018)
Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services Inc. (Massachusetts)
Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services Inc. works with African American & Latino youth and families offering them opportunities to acquire self- help and self-empowerment skills. Services and supports are also provided for individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health diagnoses and their families.
Website
Books Are Wings (Rhode Island)
Books Are Wings programs expose children from low-income families to literacy-rich reading materials. Books Are Wings typically puts thousands of books into children's hands throughout the year. They also host early learning book parties, community distribution events and summer programs.
Website
new jersey (august 2018)
Cramer Hill Elementary School (New Jersey)
Cramer Hill is a neighborhood elementary school serving 710 students (primarily African-American and Latino) and their families in Kindergarten through 8th grade. Cramer Hill is a special place where your child will experience the joy of learning in a safe, positive environment. They focus on 5 core values: respect, responsibility, hard work, teamwork and kindness. From music to art to field trips-Cramer Hill students take part in a well-rounded education. They work closely with their families to ensure Cramer Hill is a place where every child loves to learn.
delaware & Florida (september 2018)
Read Aloud Delaware (Delaware)
Read Aloud Delaware introduces children from 1 to 5 years old to the world of literacy and to spark the desire to become readers.
Volunteer adult readers read aloud books to children which helps to teach them learn new words, learn new facts about animals or trees, have a personal experience with the alphabet, numbers, colors or shapes, learn how to have a conversation with an adult, and hear grammatically-correct English. The Read Aloud Delaware experience sets children on the road to literacy success.
Read to Learn Books for Free (Florida)
Read to Learn Books for Free is a program of The Children’s Trust in partnership with Miami Book Fair at Miami Dade College. Their goal is to get more books in the hands of children – books they can keep to read with their families over and over again. They achieve this goal by delivering approximately 3,500 books per week to more than 50 free bookshelf locations through Miami-Dade County. These books are free for the taking by children and their caregivers.
georgia & California Reach out and read georgia (october 2018)
Reach Out and Read Georgia (Georgia)
Reach Out and Read Georgia gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together.
With 138 program sites at hospitals, clinics and doctor's offices across Georgia, they provide more than 109,093 children and their families in 67 counties with free books and resources that promote early childhood literacy. Reach Out and Read Georgia utilizes the existing medical infrastructure, to encourage supportive, educational conversations with parents on the importance of reading aloud and the impact on children's brain development.
Website
Hazel Strauch Elementary School (California)
Strauch Elementary School is a Title I school (serving kids in grades K - 5) committed to providing a high quality instructional program within a safe and orderly environment where all students will reach their maximum potential both socially and academically. They have a high diverse population of low-income students many of which never have the opportunity to see themselves represented in books.
Website
Arizona (october 2018)
Arizona Helping Hands (Arizona)
Arizona Helping Hands assists foster families to provide a safe, loving environment for children in the Department of Child Safety system. Their programs are designed to provide many basic needs for these boys and girls.
Arizona Helping Hands was formed in 1998 by Paul (deceased) and Kathy Donaldson under a simple premise – “Do One Good Deed a Day and Don’t Take Credit for it.”
Website
washington & oregon (october/november 2018)
Page Ahead (Washington)
Page Ahead is the leading provider of children's books and literacy services in Washington State, serving more than 850,000 children with 3 million new books since 1990.
They serve children, families and communities, with new books for children, literacy support for families, and reading resources for communities.
Website
The Children’s Book Bank (Oregon)
The mission of The Children's Book Bank is to increase the chances for children to succeed as future readers, learners, and citizens by filling their homes and lives with quality books.
The Children’s Book Bank was created to fill that void by engaging the community in collecting, sorting, and distributing donated children’s books.
Since becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2008, The Children’s Book Bank has organized over 10,000 community volunteers to channel over 650,000 books into the hands and homes of over 50,000 children in need in the Portland area.
Website
texas & maine (November/december 2018)
BookSpring (Texas)
Founded as a grassroots organization in 1974, BookSpring has been providing a critical role in closing the early literacy gap ever since. They build early literacy in children and families through healthcare, education, and the community.
Right now they have an amazing initiative going on called 20 Books by 2020. Literacy research reports that having 20 or more books at home is a significant indicator of three more years of education for a child. Yet, a quarter of Central Texas families with children under 12 report having fewer than 20 books at home according to BookSpring’s recent benchmark study.
BookSpring envisions that every child in Central Texas will have at least 20 books at home by 2020.
East End Community School (Maine)
Mrs. Fream from East End Community School in Maine wants to give her students books that represent who they are and celebrate their diversity .
Students at the school come from varying backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. There are about 400 students in their school in grades Pre-K through grade 5. 77% of their students live at the poverty level. 42% of their students are English Language Learners. They have a 50% transiency rate.
Mrs. Fream hopes to instill in her students the love of reading by giving them access to multiple resources around literacy!
Website
illinois & idaho (december 2018)
Mae Jemison School (Illinois)
Mae Jemison is a Title 1 PreK - 5 elementary school that is in need of new literature for their students. Many of their classroom libraries and teacher read alouds are dated and do not highlight a wide variety of diversity.
Mae Jemison School is dedicated to the belief that all students can become lifelong learners through a cohesive unit of staff, students, parents, and community interaction.
Future Public School (Idaho)
Future Public School believes that their current communities and systems are not designed for ALL kids to succeed. Their vision as a school is to develop engineers of the future and of our communities. Their aspiration is that through a focus on diversity, action, justice, and identity, that they can build empathy and stronger leaders for increasingly diverse state.
As a brand new public school (opened fall 2018) our donated books would help build their library and directly align with their school values. Future Public School wants their engineers to have as many windows and mirrors as possible - stories and characters that reflect their own life experience and stories and characters that expose and educate them on experiences and identities unlike theirs.
mississippi & alabama (december 2018)
Families First for Mississippi Mississippi (Mississippi)
Over the last five years, Families First for Mississippi has successfully served the State by providing Youth Development and Parenting/Life Skills services. These services are delivered by two community agencies: The Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC) and the Family Resource Center (FRC). MCEC and FRC have provided Families First for Mississippi services jointly for over 20 years. The program seeks to strengthen families of all backgrounds and life circumstances by providing youth development and parenting education through seminars, workshops, classes, and presentations. The program services are provided within schools, community centers, churches, and state agency offices.
Website
I See Me, Inc. (Alabama)
The mission of the“I See Me, Inc.” is to dismantle the “School-to-Prison Pipeline” by increasing the literacy rates in children of color by engaging them in literature that reflects their culture and mirrors their image.
Their vision is to have every fourth-grade student of color reading at or beyond grade level.
Website
north carolina & south carolina (december 2018)
Renaissance West STEAM Academy (North Carolina)
Currently in it’s second year, Renaissance West STEAM Academy is a Title I school with about 573 students; 80% African-American and 20% Hispanic.
Before the school was established, only 5 percent of 5th graders in the neighborhood were able to meet math standards. Today, they are outpacing their peers across the state. In 2012, 99% of students in grades 3–8 met or exceeded state standards in reading and language arts, and 98% in math.
The school serves as a community hub for The Renaissance and has an integrated focus on academics, health and family services, youth programs and community engagement.
Website
Charleston Hope (South Carolina)
Charleston Hope is committed to working with local educators to create meaningful and sustainable support. They create programs and events that work to close the opportunity and achievement gaps found in local Title 1 schools. Charleston Hope also connects teachers and students to relationships, resources, and opportunities that center on building relationships.
Our donated books will be given to classrooms at Mitchell Elementary School.
Website
virginia & new mexico (December 2018)
Rockledge Elementary School (Virginia)
The mission of Rockledge Elementary School is to support every student's learning, promote community involvement, and celebrate achievement.
Website
Hillrise Elementary School (New Mexico)
Hillrise Elementary School is a K-5 Blue Ribbon Award Winning School with child-centered environment where students are individually challenged and nurtured. Students at Hillrise are engaged in active learning to develop their potential in order to invent a successful future as a caring and capable adult.
Website
ohio & pennsylvania (December 2018)
Hough Reads (Ohio)
Hough Reads is Little Free Library Neighborhood, place-based literacy campaign, designed to unite a community around reading and improving literacy rates. They host at least one literacy-based event per book includes book giveaways to children and filling the Little Free Libraries in their community. Hough is one of Cleveland's poorest neighborhoods, yet they find a number of children who love to read. They want to always be able to provide them with books.
Tree House Books (Pennsylvania)
Tree House Books is on a mission to grow and sustain a community of readers, writers, and thinkers in Philadelphia. Founded in 2005, our vision is to make sure that every child has access to books and every opportunity to fulfill their dreams and explore their passion.
They are a Giving Library and Literacy Center in North Philadelphia with a dual purpose: to provide free books to the community and spread knowledge and awareness. They also provide Out of School Time (OST) programs that increase literacy skills, and promote a lifelong love of reading and writing in children from their earliest moments, through high school, and beyond.
Website
north dakota & south dakota (December 2018)
Viking Elementary School (North Dakota)
Viking Elementary is a Title I school. Some teachers don't have the resources to always buy books unless it is coming out of the teachers’ own packet.
Website
Lowell Elementary (South Dakota)
Lowell values the uniqueness of each individual as an essential part of their diverse community. It serves children in grades Pre-K to grade 5. Minority enrollment is 58% of the student body (majority Black and Hispanic), which is higher than the South Dakota state average of 25%.
Website
utah & michigan (December 2018)
Primary Children’s Foundation (Utah)
Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital (formerly Primary Children's Medical Center), is a 289-bed children's hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It is owned by Intermountain Healthcare and operates in affiliation with the University of Utah School of Medicine. The hospital serves the states of Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, yielding an enormous geographic catchment area of approximately 400,000 square miles.
Website
Little Lights Literature Co. (Michigan)
Little Lights Literature Co. wants to spread their message of literacy and faith. They believe that a single book can make a difference in a child’s life, and that collective action can greatly impact them. Through their book distribution program, community engagements and activities, Little Lights Literature Co. works each day to contribute their part to the greater good. Little Lights Literature Company is a company that loves Christ, Community, Family, and Children’s Literature. They strive to bring them all together one book at a time.
Website
nevada & oklahoma (December 2018)
Agnes Risley Elementary School (Nevada)
The Washoe County School District provides each student the opportunity to achieve his or her potential through a superior education in a safe and challenging environment in order to develop responsible and productive citizens for our diverse and rapidly changing community.
Website
Mocha Books (Oklahoma)
Inspired by a family of readers, the mission of Mocha Books is to first promote literacy and foster a love of reading in the home and in our community. They also dedicate their platform to culturally represented and diverse books.
Mocha Books offers new and used books for all ages, family friendly events, literacy resources, and more.
Website
alaska & hawaii (december 2018)
Kegoayah Kozga Public Library (Alaska)
The Kegoayah Kozga Public Library is very remote. People in this town do not have a bookstore dedicated to selling books exclusively. They are thankful that their two grocery stores and a couple of gift stores have a limited selection of books. They cannot drive to Anchorage because there is no a road. They must fly one hour to Anchorage to have access to a full service book store. The library director is on a mission to promote early literacy and have a collection of the best multi-cultural books that she can find.
Website
Kalihi Uka Elementary School (Hawaii)
Kalihi Uka Elementary School is a small school located in the heart of Kalihi Valley in Honolulu, Hawaii. Kalihi Uka's student population primarily comes from immigrant and low income families. The majority of incoming kindergarteners do not have preschool experience.
KUES strives to produce well-rounded, resilient, positive-natured students who are contributing members of society by focusing on their academic, emotional, and social needs.
Website
kansas & new hampshire (january 2019)
Pawnee Elementary School (Kansas)
Pawnee is a Title I school and serves students in Kindergarten through sixth grade in Overland Park, Kansas. More than 450 students attend the elementary school. The goal of the 5th grade teacher who applied to receive the books has a goal of building lifelong readers and instilling joy for reading in her students. She wants them to value time with books and to see themselves reflected in the stories and characters they read.
Website
Gay-Kimball Library (New Hampshire)
The mission of the Gay-Kimball Library is to meet the recreational and informational needs of the community in a creative, professional, and welcoming manner. The library offers diverse resources and provides a community meeting place for people of all ages.
Website
vermont & louisiana (january 2019)
Black Boys Read NOLA (Louisiana)
Black Boys Read NOLA is a boys book club in New Orleans, Louisiana. Their goal is to inspire kids to read diverse books.
Website
Richmond Elementary School (Vermont)
The school librarian at Richmond Elementary School had a keen interest in making sure the school library has a collection that meets the needs of every child. These needs are sometime seeing a mirror and sometimes seeing a window.
Website
arkansas & colorado (february/MARCH 2019)
Spacious Skies Charter School (Colorado)
Spacious Skies is a project-based learning school in Colorado Springs. They guarantee each child a quality education by providing joyful and challenging learning experiences in a safe and caring environment.
Website
AR Kids Read (Arkansas)
The mission of AR Kids Read is to improve the future of Arkansas children and families by advancing literacy education through community engagement and tutoring so that all children can read proficiently by the end of third grade.
Website
wyoming & montana (APRIL 2019)
Russell Elementary School (Montana)
Over the past year, a third grade teacher at Russell Elementary School has been encouraged me to grow her classroom library with relevant and new books.
”I want to provide a wonderful place where student have many choices to choose from and can find books that provide doors and windows into themselves and others. I have moved back to Montana where the population of my students will not be very diverse; because of this it is my goal to share with my students stories with diverse characters. I especially want to provide diverse mentor texts to use when teaching reading and writing strategies.”
Website
Raising Readers in Wyoming (Wyoming)
Raising Readers in Wyoming encourages parents to read to their young children by providing beautiful new books as part of the well child health care visits.Since 2002, more than 412,914 books have been distributed in all 23 Wyoming counties through our program.
Website
minnesota & wisconsin (APRIL 2019)
Early Childhood Family Education Center (Minnesota)
Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) is based on the idea that parents provide their child's first and most significant learning environment and parents are children's first and most enduring teachers. ECFE works to support you as a parent/caregiver and to strengthen and empower families. The goal is to enhance the ability of all parents and other family members to provide the best possible environments for their child's learning and development.
Website
Wisconsin Literacy (Wisconsin)
Wisconsin Literacy, Inc. is a non-profit coalition of 75 community-based literacy programs located throughout the state of Wisconsin. They have supported non-profit literacy programs with capacity-building services, funding, advocacy, and professional development services since 1985. Simply put, Wisconsin Literacy changes lives by strengthening literacy statewide.
Website
missouri & indiana (MAY 2019)
Ready Readers (Missouri)
Each week, more than 500 men and women throughout St. Louis take time out of their routines to keep a weekly date — with a classroom full of preschoolers. Armed with a tote bag full of books and a passion for reading, our Ready Readers volunteers walk into a receptive audience of familiar young faces, all eager to know: “What stories will we hear today?” The same reader with the same class, week after week.
Through their weekly reading and gift book programs, through workshops and training for readers and teachers, and through literacy-themed events outside the classroom, Ready Readers helps children reap the rewards of literacy.
Website
Indianapolis Urban League (Indiana)
The Indianapolis Urban League’s mission is to assist African-Americans, other minorities and disadvantaged individuals to achieve social and economic empowerment. They also provide job counseling, referrals and advocacy for equal employment opportunity for minorities, information and referral to other social services, housing counseling, dissemination of information regarding the special concerns of our community, and has been a leading “Bridge Builder” for improved race relations.
Our donated books will be used in their Rise & Read program.
Website
kentucky & tennessee (MAY 2019)
The Nest (Kentucky)
The Nest provides a safe place for education, counseling, and support to children and families in crisis. Their programs focus on the prevention of physical and sexual abuse, neglect of children, and the stabilization of the family unit.
All of the books for this state were graciously donated by the publisher and illustrator for a children’s book entitled Come On, Calm!, a book modeling self soothing to imaginative little readers through sensory and breathing tasks. Their innovative book donation idea was to have guests attending their book pre-launch party bring new or gently used diverse children’s books and donate them on our behalf to The Nest.
Website
Book’em (Tennessee)
Book’em creates a more literate Nashville by helping economically disadvantaged children, from birth through high school, discover the joy and value of reading through book ownership and enthusiastic volunteers.
Each year, they distribute tens of thousands of books and add a reading program in pre-schools, Ready for Reading. They also sponsor an annual Read Me Day, a special celebration of reading in one of the RIF schools its serves, to raise awareness of the importance of providing literary services to Nashville children.
Website
maryland & iowa (MAY 2019)
Ready at Five (Maryland)
Ready at Five helps young children enter school with the skills needed to succeed.
By working at the state, local, and community levels, they increase knowledge and skills, raise awareness, and bolster statewide efforts to invest in the early years through:
Innovative programs and curricula
Parent/child activities and resources
United Way of Central Iowa (Iowa)
Since 1917, United Way of Central Iowa has brought together individuals and organizations from every corner of central Iowa to create and implement initiatives focused on producing real results in the areas of education, income and health.
They have several programs and initiatives like Read to Succeed. READ to SUCCEED is a community-wide awareness campaign to inspire community action to ensure that, by the end of 2020, 90 percent of central Iowa children read proficiently by the end of third grade.
Website
washington d.c. & west virginia (MAY 2019)
Everybody Wins! (Washington D.C.)
Everybody Wins DC is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving lives through shared reading experiences. The idea behind our mission is simple and straightforward, yet it brings about powerful change: by connecting a child with a caring adult over a book, everybody's lives get better - everybody wins!
Website
Read Aloud West Virginia (West Virginia)
Read Aloud West Virginia's mission is to change the literacy culture of West Virginia by keeping reading material in the hands and on the minds of our state's children.
Motivation is the critical first step in developing any skill and Read Aloud works to motivate children to WANT to read. Their goal is to involve families, the medical community, businesses, civic groups and the society at large in cultivating a culture that places value on reading.