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Nicole, Ian, and Ashley from Blackboard Inc., were up to their elbows in books when they noticed some young, eager faces peeking through the windows of the school gym.
“The kids wanted to know what was going on. They kept coming over to look at the books and asking if they were going to get one,” said Nicole Marsh, Manager of Operations for Blackboard Somerset.
Nicole, Ian and Ashley were just a few of the employees from Blackboard at Hopkins Elementary that day. Over 30 volunteers were sorting, organizing and distributing over 3,500 books to children in need in their community.
Throughout September, Blackboard, which delivers technology solutions that help re-imagine education for students from pre-K through lifelong learning, had each Educational Services division compete to raise money to get books into the hands of kids through a First Book Virtual Book Drive. The site that raised the most money won the opportunity to distribute the books made possible by their fundraising efforts to area schools.
The Blackboard office in the small, rural town of Somerset, KY won the competition, raising enough money for each elementary school and one middle school in Pulaski County to receive 400 books. And they did it one cupcake and crock-pot at a time – holding potlucks and raffling off cheesecakes and a fishing trip.
The schools were incredibly grateful for the books. Thank you cards have poured into the Blackboard office since the distribution.
“I hope the children in Somerset see that not only do people out there really care about them but want to see their education go further. Education is everything, especially when kids are younger.” said Nicole, “I hope that they will see our effort and want to be involved so we can continue the cycle of events like this for children in need.”
Learn more about how you can start a Virtual Book Drive to get books to kids in need in your area.
The post Books to Kids, One Cupcake At A Time appeared first on First Book Blog.
It was only 6:30 in the morning, but over 100 teachers had already lined up outside of the Children’s Museum of Houston – each eagerly waiting to select new books for their students.
“It is hard to describe the lump I had in my throat when I drove up and saw all the teachers who had come at that early hour, from all over Houston,” said Patricia Gres Shuford, a collegiate member of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity.
Patricia volunteered with her New Mexico Alpha chapter to help distribute 20,000 books in Houston as part of Pi Beta Phi’s Fraternity Day of Service, conducted in partnership with First Book. She spent the day sharing stories and loading books into the cars of over 300 Houston-area educators and program leaders serving kids in need.
“The teachers were so excited and grateful,” said Patricia. “Helping distribute these books was such a rewarding experience.”
First Book, and longtime partner Pi Beta Phi, also touched the lives of kids in need in Baltimore, Long Beach, Calif. and Nashville, Tenn. In addition to the Fraternity Day of Service book distributions, hundreds of kids joined Pi Phi volunteers to enjoy Dr. Suess®-themed story times, visits from the Cat in the Hat and reading with therapy dogs. Across all four cities, local kids are now reading, learning and loving over 80,000 brand-new books.
First Book looks forward to its continued partnership with Pi Beta Phi through the Read > Lead > Achieve® initiative, inspiring a lifelong love of reading and impacting one life at a time.
To learn more about how you can volunteer with First Book, visit www.firstbook.org/get-involved/volunteer.
The post 80,000 Books to Help Kids Read, Lead, Achieve appeared first on First Book Blog.
“The biggest challenge our students face is the simple fact that they’ve been told they can’t do it. And so we charge them to have hope.”
- Jamelle Settles, Assistant Principle, Robert Burns Elementary School
First Book and our friends at JetBlue recently visited one of Michigan’s most struggling schools to provide students with brand new books. Check out the video below for the full story.
The post Delivering Hope to a School in Detroit (VIDEO) appeared first on First Book Blog.
By: Gina Rullo,
on 9/10/2013
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We’re huge fans of award-winning actress Julianne Moore at First Book; not only is she supremely talented on stage and screen, she’s also a children’s book author and all -around lovely person.
So we were thrilled that she was able to join us yesterday at Round The Clock Nursery in Harlem to celebrate the first day of school in New York City. Round The Clock Nursery is an amazing early childhood program that serves kids in need and their families 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and one of the many programs that First Book provides with new books and educational materials.
The kids were thrilled to meet Julianne. She read them her new book, ‘My Mom is a Foreigner, But Not to Me’, and gave each of them a signed copy of their own to keep.
Julieanne Moore reading her new book with a child at a community center in Harlem to celebrate the start of a new school year.
Kids from Round The Clock Nursery, along with Gail Davis, founder and president (seated at left), Julianne Moore, and Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book.
Each student received a signed copy of Julianne Moore’s new book, ‘My Mom is a Foreigner, But Not to Me.’
The books were provided by Julianne Moore’s publisher, Chronicle Books.
The post For First Day of School, Julianne Moore Brings Books to Kids at Harlem Daycare Center appeared first on First Book Blog.
By: juliahornaday,
on 6/24/2013
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First Book and our corporate partners take summer slide seriously. And we all should! It accounts for two-thirds of the achievement gap between poor children and affluent children in the communities we call home.
Two of our corporate partners, CBS EcoMedia and Bob Evans, recently took to Detroit to battle summer slide. Together they provided 2,500 new books to schools in Detroit through EcoMedia’s EducationAd program. EducationAd repurposes CBS advertiser dollars to fund projects that benefit education within local communities.
To celebrate the donation, employee volunteers from Bob Evans served up breakfast and books at Gompers Elementary – reading with students and providing each 2nd grader with two new books to take home. CBS EcoMedia President and Founder Paul Polizzotto and Bob Evans’ mascots Biscuits and Gravy attended to share their love of reading with students.
The post Biscuit, Gravy and a Boatload of Books for Detroit: First Book’s Partners Combat the Summer Slide appeared first on First Book Blog.
By: Gina Rullo,
on 2/27/2013
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The spirit of friendship and the power of reading were in full force at Peck Full Service Community School, a Title I School in Holyoke, MA, yesterday.
The school eagerly awaited the arrival of beloved children’s author and illustrator, Mo Willems: Elephant and Piggie posters decorated the hallways and windows of the school while the receptionist tried her hand at sketching the characters, and every available Mo Willems book was checked out of the school library.
Click here to see Mo celebrating Friendiversary!
As second-grade students entered the library to celebrate Friendiversary with Mo Willems himself, costumed Elephant and Piggie characters greeted the students at door. After a grand entrance, Mo read two of his books – There Is A Bird on Your Head! and I Am Invited To a Party! He then conducted a Q&A with the second graders who asked him all sorts of questions. “Why did you work for Cartoon Network?” asked one of the students. “Do you have a pet pigeon?” asked another.
Mo then informed the second graders that they would each be taking home their very own Friendiversary book and the library erupted with deafening screams of excitement. Students immediately began opening their books, each of which were personally signed by Mo. Smiles were on every face and many were sharing and showing their books to friends.
Friendiversary doesn’t have to be celebrated in February, it can be celebrated at any time of the year! Here’s how you can throw your very own Friendiversary party:
- Get Friendiversary books for the second grade students in your program.
- Invite everyone to a party!
- Read together with friends and celebrate Friendiversary, an annual celebration of friendship and reading.
At First Book, we love celebrating Friendiversary each year, partly because we love Mo Willems, but mostly because it’s one more way to get new, quality books into the hands of kids in need, and seeing those kids become excited readers is what we’re all about.
Happy Friendiversary!
For the third year in a row, our friend Mo Willems, beloved children’s author & illustrator, will be providing brand-new Elephant & Piggie books and activity kits to kids in need!
The books and activity kits will go to second grade students in New Orleans, Springfield and Holyoke, Mass. (These places have special meaning for Mo; he grew up in New Orleans and now resides in Massachusetts.)
Mo’s Elephant & Piggie characters inspired First Book to create Friendiversary, an annual celebration of friendship and reading. After all, who better exemplifies the meaning of friendship than Elephant & Piggie?
You can help second-graders across the country celebrate Friendiversary on Feb. 26! Click here to donate.
For every $33 donated, 10 second grade students will receive their own Mo Willems books and activity kits for the celebration.
Happy Friendiversary!
By: Brian Minter,
on 1/21/2013
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On Saturday, volunteers from across the country joined First Book on the National Mall in Washington DC to celebrate President Obama’s National Day of Service by providing 15,000 brand-new books to DC-area children from low-income families.
Click here to see photos of the event, including pictures of volunteers, political leaders, and even a few celebrities.
First Book was one of seven nonprofits featured at the event, highlighting the idea of community service in such areas as education, the environment and support for military families.
??Each volunteer packed two books into a bag, and decorated bookplates with personal messages.
The books, including “Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Doreen Rappaport, were provided thanks to the generous support of our friends at KPMG, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, through its KPMG’s Family for Literacy program.
The bags will be distributed in the coming days to students throughout DC, thanks to First Book’s partnership with the American Federation of Teachers.
Even if you weren’t able to join us on the National Mall, you can still bring new books to kids in need. Click here to donate to our National Day of Service Virtual Book Drive. Every $2.50 provides one new books to a child in need.
When I was a little kid, I wanted to be an author because I wanted to find one of my books on the library shelves. Seriously, that was my dream: a big “PE” (for PERL) sticker on the spine and everything. While I must confess that seeing my books on an alphabetized bookshelf still gives me a thrill, I now know that this is not the best part of writing for children.
The best part, hands down, is sharing my books with kids.
While some kids are fortunate enough to get to meet authors like Jeff Kinney and Suzanne Collins at book stores, festivals, and even their own schools, many kids are not so lucky. And many schools and programs do not have the resources or budgets to bring in authors to visit and meet with their students. Luckily, there are great organizations that work to bring authors and illustrators to kids who might otherwise never meet them. And many of these organizations partner with First Book so every child in attendance receives a brand new signed book to keep.
For example, here in the greater Washington, DC area, there are several groups that facilitate author visits for programs and schools serving children in need. For example, last month I had a great visit to Washington DC’s Garfield Elementary School with Turning the Page. At this Community Night event, I got to lead a standing-room-only crowd of kids and parents in a spirited reader’s theater performance of Chicken Butt! 
Last month I also had the pleasure of visiting Govans Elementary School in Baltimore with Write Brain Kids. It was a huge treat to hear the fourth grade students try out their “Ace” voices as they chuckled over scenes from When Life Gives You O.J. In addition to those two programs, I have worked with many Washington DC area programs including An Open Book Foundation, PEN-Faulkner’s Writers in Schools (WinS) program, and The Reading Connection. Through First Book, authors and illustrators are able to connect with similar programs serving communities across the United States and in Canada. Examples that come to mind include The Foundation for Children’s Books in Boston, and New York City’s Behind the Book.
Each program is unique in its format and age focus but all have certain things in common: they serve schools and programs where a published author or illustrator is not someone the kids usually get to meet, they give kids books to call their own and they succeed in getting kids super-excited about reading, writing, drawing and books!
And one more thing: they all have as much of a positive impact on the authors as they do on the kids!
By: Brian Minter,
on 10/15/2012
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Normally we at First Book spend our evenings reading award-winning children’s literature, of course, but tonight we’ll be glued to our TV sets for Monday Night Football, watching golf legend Phil Mickelson try to make a $1 million shot at halftime.
If he makes it? 100% of that money will go to First Book, and that means as many as 400,000 brand-new books for kids from low-income families.
The challenge comes from our friends at KPMG, whose commitment to putting books into the hands of kids in need runs deep. It’s all part of KPMG’s Family for Literacy program and their new “Blue for Books” campaign, which has provided over 20,000 new books since March.
At the game, Mickelson will stand in one end zone, aiming for a target in the other end zone, which will have a putting green with three rings around it. If he hits the green, KPMG will donate $50,000 (that’s 20,000 brand-new books), and for each ring they’ll donate more, up to $1 million for the bulls-eye.
In the hands of a lesser golfer this might be a problem, but we’re not worried. Go Phil!
You can help KPMG and Phil get books to kids by donating to First Book. Every $2.50 pays for a brand-new book for a child in need. Or you can show your support through KPMG’s ‘Blue for Books’ campaign by buying Phil’s Blue Hat. For every hat purchased, KPMG will donate three new books. To learn more, visit philsbluehat.com.
By: Brian Minter,
on 4/26/2012
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Recently, First Book promised to distribute one million brand-new books to kids in need across the country in just ten days.
Those ten days are up, and we are as good as our word. Better, even … altogether we distributed a little over 1.2 million books to the schools and programs in our national network. Woot!
25,000 of those books went to kids at Title I schools across Montana. Heather Denny, a Title I specialist in Montana who was instrumental in helping First Book distribute the books at a statewide conference of Title I teachers, emailed us this morning to tell us how excited her colleagues were.
“It was amazing!” she wrote. “You should have seen the smiles on our teacher’s faces. We had a retiring teacher who worked in the book room all day because she wanted to see the young teachers coming in and leaving with boxes of books.”
If that doesn’t warm your heart, you are made of sterner stuff than we are.
Thanks to everyone who made this possible, from the hard-working volunteers who spent long, tiring days in warehouses to the generous publishers who provided the books to our nonprofit and corporate partners who provide the support needed, and especially to all the teachers and local program leaders who take these books and use them to turn kids into readers.
Want to get involved in our next amazing book distribution? Click here to sign up for our newsletter and we’ll send you monthly emails sharing stories and letting you know how you can get involved in your community.
By: Brian Minter,
on 3/5/2012
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First Book was part of all kinds of great events across the country for Read Across America Day on Friday, including a tremendous partnership in the city of Newark. Working with some great local nonprofits, we were able to provide almost 17,000 brand-new books — including plenty of Dr. Seuss titles, since Read Across America Day is Dr. Seuss’s birthday — to students at eight Title I public schools in Newark.
We got to meet lots of amazing kids at Belmont-Runyon Elementary, along with some of the educators and public servants that do so much and put so much of themselves into their work.
“I’m just so happy that our kids in Newark are getting thousands of books,” said Mayor Cory Booker. “Not put in libraries or in schools, but actually put in their hands for them to own.”
As always, the best part was seeing the looks on the children’s faces when they were given new books of their own to keep. You might think it was just the excitement any child feels when they’re being given shiny new things, but almost every one of those kids sat down to open their new Dr. Seuss books and start reading them — right there on the floor.
Most kids from low-income families have no books of their own at home. A new book is more than just a novelty for kids like the ones at Belmont-Runyon Elementary; it’s a rare treasure. To see how eager they are to read, you only need to hand them a book.
“The kids love getting these books, they’re really excited about it,” said Lois Myers, librarian at Belmont-Runyon Elementary. “They say ‘We get to keep these books!?’”
First Book doesn’t haul a truckload of books up and dump them on the doorstep. We work carefully with local partners to ensure that the books are part of an ongoing effort to transform children’s lives and elevate the quality of their education.
- The educators at the Newark schools selected quality titles that they knew their kids would respond to.
- Community groups like New Jersey After 3 and the Foundation for Newark’s Future brought in authors to read to the children and coordinated a school-wide assembly to celebrate books and reading.
- Anne Feeley, a generous donor (and Newark native) provided funding to help make everything possible through the Foundation for Newark’s Future’s “My Very Own Library” initiative.
- Local leaders like Mayor Booker made time to spend the day with the children, to entertain them and to let them know they were important.
- Volunteers and parents decorated the auditorium with a Dr. Seuss theme that would have put professional set designers to shame.
We were proud to be a part of an event like this, and happy to bring the books.
Just like we’d be proud to work with people and organizations anywhere who care about improving the lives of the most vulnerable children in their community. When we all work together, we make big things happen.
If you’d like to support First Book’s work,
By: Brian Minter,
on 2/7/2012
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Today is Friendiversary, when we celebrate the anniversary of our friendships. Think of one of your oldest and dearest friends. When did you first meet? How did you meet? That story is the story of your Friendiversary.
First Book is celebrating Friendiversary this week by providing 7,000 new Elephant & Piggie books to second-graders at Title I schools in Louisiana and Massachusetts. The Elephant & Piggie series is written and illustrated by our friend Mo Willems, whose support makes it possible for First Book able to provide these books. Every book includes a special Friendiversary note from Mo, and his publisher, Disney Publishing Worldwide, is also providing activity kits, stickers and posters free of charge to each classroom.
In fact, we’re so delighted with the Friendiversary kit that we also made it available to all the schools and programs in First Book’s national network.
There are Friendiversary parties happening in classrooms and programs all over today … or tomorrow, or last weekend. We’re pretty flexible on when you actually celebrate Friendiversary.
The biggest party we’ve heard about so far took place in New Orleans, at James Singleton Charter School. (Mo grew up in New Orleans, and has a special place in his heart for New Orleans kids, so making sure they all had copies of his books was important to him.)
Lynetta Rhodes, the chair of the local First Book volunteer group in New Orleans, helped put the party together. She sent us some great pictures, and filled us in on all the details:
- Every student got two copies of Mo’s books to keep, including There’s a Bird On Your Head, Are You Ready to Play Outside?, Today I Will Fly and Should I Share My Ice Cream?. (“I can’t believe I got two books!” one of the students told Lynetta).
- There were all kinds of local celebrity guests on hand to read with the kids, including New Orleans city councilmember Susan Guidry, children’s author Robin Washington, Louisiana State Rep. Wesley Bishop and TV reporter Rosa Flores.
- There was plenty of ice cream.
“The children looked adorable in their ‘Elephant and Piggie’ ears and the costumed characters made the kids shout with glee,” said Dianne de Las Casas, who hosted and helped plan the event. “Friendiversary at James Singleton Charter School was a great success.”
Happy Friendiversary, everyone!
If you work with kids from low-income families, you can be a part of Friendiversary and other great events and opportunities throughout the year. Sign up with First Book to find out how we can help you get new books for your kids.
By: Brian Minter,
on 12/16/2011
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“Our kids don’t get to have dreams, aspirations, hopes. They can’t even think about college; it’s not in their minds. That’s why these books are so important. Books are the beginning of everything. You learn about other places, you learn about the world.”
– Angela Fedele of the WE CAN Program, a statewide program based in Princeton, W.Va., that provides volunteer mentors for at-risk kids
McDowell County, West Virginia, home to about 22,000 people, is one of the poorest counties in the state, and ranked last in education. Which is why First Book has joined a coalition of businesses, labor unions and nonprofits – more than 40 local, state and national groups altogether – who are working to change that.
For our part, First Book has pledged to provide a brand-new book to every student in McDowell County, books chosen by the local teachers and program leaders who work with the kids. And that’s just the beginning: We distributed 300,000 brand-new books in West Virginia in the last few years, and we’re working with almost 500 local classrooms and programs across the state. Every one of those kids is connected to an ongoing supply of new books through First Book.
“We’re here today because we want to level the educational playing field,” said Chandler Arnold, First Book’s executive vice-president, speaking yesterday at the kickoff ceremony in Charleston. “We want to ensure that the children of McDowell County have access to a steady supply of top-notch books and educational resources.”
Lean more about the project, led by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), at Reconnecting McDowell.
Help us get the word out, West Virginia! If you work for a school or program that serves children from low-income families, or if you’d like to help your child’s teacher or program leader get new books, sign up with First Book. And if you’d like to join one of our local volunteer groups, we’d love to hear from you.
By: Brian Minter,
on 9/19/2011
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Today’s guest blogger is Laura Geringer, beloved children’s book author and one of First Book’s favorite people.
First Book goes to Broadway! It’s gratifying to announce the highly successful completion of the first stage of First Book’s partnership with the Kaufman Center. The collaboration gave rise this summer to a pilot program of seven colorful and comical musicals for children, all based on children’s books available from First Book’s online Marketplace store.
In the lineup were “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” by Jon Scieszka, “Chrysanthemum” by Kevin Henkes, “Kenny and the Dragon” by Tony DiTerlizzi, and my own “A Three Hat Day“.
The show was called “Cover to Cover”, and was a tribute to the power of storytelling in our lives. It was tremendously moving to me as over a hundred children sang the lyrics to the closing song:
There will always be a new book to discover
And the books I love
will always be
A part of me …
Through this new partnership with The Kaufman Center, First Book makes its theatrical debut on stage, bringing books into the lives of children in need through story and song.
By: Brian Minter,
on 9/15/2011
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If you live in the Los Angeles area, or will be visiting this fall, or are up for a road trip, you’ll have three chances to spend an evening with some amazing authors … and get new books to kids in need at the same time.
Jane Lynch, Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson, and Deepak Chopra & Leonard Mlodinow will be appearing at Live Talks Los Angeles events this fall, and the proceeds from every ticket sold will help First Book bring brand-new books to children from low-income families in Los Angeles.
First Book is thrilled about our new partnership with Live Talks Los Angeles, and we hope many of you are able to attend one of these great shows and support the work we’re doing in California. Ticket prices for these events start at $20.
If you attend one (or all) of these events, share a message on our Facebook page and let us know what you thought.
By: Brian Minter,
on 9/7/2011
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“Our kids don’t get to have dreams, aspirations, hopes. They can’t even think about college; it’s not in their minds. That’s why these books are so important. Books are the beginning of everything. You learn about other places, you learn about the world.”
– Angela Fedele of the WE CAN Program, a statewide program based in Princeton, W.Va., that provides volunteer mentors for at-risk kids
Angela Fedele is one of the many teachers and program leaders who spend their days doing everything they can to help West Virginia’s kids. At First Book, our mission is to do everything we can to help people like Angela.
By signing up with First Book, Angela was able to provide $3,000 worth of new books for the children in her program, thanks to a combination of grant money and support from local First Book volunteers.
First Book works with programs across the country, but we have a special place in our hearts for West Virginia. We’ve provided 294,228 brand-new books to children in need across the state, and plan to distribute 14,000 more by the end of the summer, thanks in part to a federal grant from the Department of Education.
In addition, we’re launching a new partnership with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to ensure that more kids have the books and resources they need. We’ll be announcing more details about this partnership soon, but we had a great kick-off last week in Charleston. Together with our friends at the AFT, we provided new books, along with grants to purchase more, to two local schools – West Side Elementary and Stonewall Jackson Middle School.
Help us get the word out, West Virginia! If you work for a school or program that serves children from low-income families, or if you’d like to help your child’s teacher or program leader get new books, sign up with First Book. And if you’d like to join one of our local volunteer groups, we’d love to hear from you.
By: Brian Minter,
on 8/4/2011
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Today’s guest blogger is Laura Geringer, beloved children’s book author and one of First Book’s favorite people.
Last night First Book’s Chandler Arnold and I attended the final exciting performance of Cover to Cover, a lively collection of seven brief musicals all based on children’s books available on the First Book Marketplace, including my own book, A Three Hat Day.
My hope is that the many children who receive and read this special twenty-fifth anniversary edition of my book through First Book will learn to love reading as much as I do and that books will become a very important part of their lives.
The show was created and produced by the Kaufman Center’s Summer Theater Workshop, directed by Sean Hartley, and performed in Merkin Hall, here in New York City. For twenty years, the Kaufman Center has been commissioning new playwrights and songwriters to create short child-friendly plays and songs. Like First Book, this non-profit organization is dedicated to enriching the lives of children from all walks of life through the magic of storytelling.
To quote one of the beautiful songs in last night’s new stage adaptation of A Three Hat Day, a reading a book can be like “Opening a door / where there never was a door before.”
We hope this first collaboration of First Book and the Kaufman Center will pave the way for future programs that offer music, art and story to more and more children throughout the nation, and that bring families together with authors, artists, educators and community members in a celebration of the joy of reading.
First Book is deeply grateful to have been part of “Oprah’s Surprise Spectacular.” We were overwhelmed when 13,000 people at the United Center stood in tribute to Oprah Winfrey and the power of reading – each holding a brand new children’s book to be donated to a child in need through First Book. Surprises don’t get much better than that!
But the story doesn’t end there. Thanks to the audience’s generosity, more than 25,000 new books in total will be given to children in low-income communities throughout the country, including a donation of over 1,100 books for the children at KIPP Believe College Preparatory Academy in New Orleans, the school that was featured in the broadcast.
Honoring The “Oprah” Show’s 25-year legacy with a donation of 25,000 books for kids in need makes for a pretty spectacular surprise. Even though the guest of honor may not like surprises much, we could tell she liked this one.
Everyone at First Book thanks The “Oprah” Show’s audience for supporting our work and sharing the love of reading with children who need books in their lives.
First Book also thanks the fabulous people at Harpo for tapping us for this remarkable opportunity. You are an inspiring group, and we are honored to have worked with you.
First Book is coming to Pittsburgh, and we’re looking for volunteers to help us distribute 500,000 new books to schools and programs serving children from low-income families across the country.
The books are in a warehouse in Sewickley, PA (just outside of Pittsburgh), and we need as many volunteers as we can get to help us box them up and ship them out. Most of the help we need is physical labor: lifting, carrying and sorting boxes. We also need help with some less physically-demanding tasks, like labeling boxes and assisting First Book staff.
We need volunteers from 9 am until 4 pm on the following days:
- Tuesday, May 16
- Wednesday, May 17
- Thursday, May 18
You’re welcome to volunteer for the full day or part of the day. We need 15-20 volunteers at all times, so please spread the word about this opportunity and bring your friends, kids, wives, husbands, neighbors, second cousins and co-workers! (Volunteers must be at least 16 years old).
Help us get books to kids who need them!
To volunteer, please contact Anna Taleysnik-Mehta at First Book (e-mail ataleysnik(at)firstbook.org or call us toll-free at 866-READ-NOW).
You can learn more about First Book and what we do at firstbook.org.
Two of our favorite children’s book authors (two of everyone’s favorite children’s book authors, really), Rick Riordan and James Patterson, will be appearing, together for the first time, at Lincoln Center in New York City next month. The two authors will read from their latest titles (including exclusive first looks) and answer questions from their fans.
For those of us not able to make it to NYC, the event will be streamed live online, where fans will be able to ask the authors questions as well.
Al Roker, a longtime literacy advocate and co-host of the Today show, will moderate the evening.
We’d be excited about this anyway, but it’s extra special for us because the evening’s hosts, our friends at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Disney Publishing Worldwide, are donating 100% of the proceeds to First Book. So everyone who attends will not only get to see two of their favorite authors up-close and personal, they’ll have the opportunity to help First Book get books into the hands of kids from low-income neighborhoods.
If you’re in the NYC area (or are willing to make the trip), tickets for the event go on sale this Saturday, April 30, for just $5. You can learn more here.
By: Brian Minter,
on 4/20/2011
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Last week, First Book staffers, along with volunteers from our friends at Barclays, visited Girls Prep Bronx Elementary School in New York City, and brought along some books.
The Barclays volunteers joined kindergartners in their classrooms and read Penguin Chick Grows Up, Dr. Seuss’ My Many Colored Days, and the special Barclays edition of Bunny Money. At the end of the reading period, the students were excited to learn that they would each be taking home the three new books in a Barclays backpack. One classroom even sang a song to the volunteers to thank them for visiting and bringing new books.
This is the second time that Barclays has visited a Girls Prep school; last year, volunteers read to students at the Girls Prep Lower East Side Elementary School and also provided them with a book grant to the First Book Marketplace. Girls Prep Lower East Side Middle School will also be one of the first First Book recipient groups to receive a Barclays book grant for use on the First Book Marketplace Graduation and College Readiness section.
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on 11/3/2010
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Guest blogger, Kellie Cairns, is the co-chair of First Book – Los Angeles and the creator and director of Book Buddies, a literacy program of the Molina Foundation. She is known to thousands of children simply as “The Book Lady” and is proud to call herself a friend of First Book.
Actress Jennie Garth helps launch the ninth annual Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories Program by reading to children in Los Angeles
Beaming faces of young children greeted actress and literacy advocate Jennie Garth at the Pico Union Library in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday morning.
There to celebrate the launch of the ninth annual Cheerios® Spoonfuls of Stories® program, Jennie read to her eager audience of children and their parents from the book, “All the World” by Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee.
Cheerios, a longtime partner of First Book, also announced a donation of 5,000 books that will be distributed to children throughout the Los Angeles area. Members of First Book – Los Angeles were in attendance and gratefully acknowledged the donation of the books to the community.
After the book reading, Jennie – a mother of three girls, helped distribute Cheerios book bags filled with books to the children in attendance. One mother was seen wiping tears from her eyes as her child clutched her books to her chest. “This means so much to us, and to our kids. Thank you so much for this special day!”
Last Friday in Livonia, Michigan, 63 very excited first graders went home with two brand new book each. Our partners, Tata Technologies and Tata Sons, North America brought First Book to Michigan to host a reading event at Garfield Elementary School in Livonia. More than 15 volunteers from Tata Technologies’ offices in Novi, MI, along with representatives from Tata Sons, participated in reading circles and activities with the students, and presented each first grader with two books to start their own library.
The reading event kicked off a book donation of 10,000 books to schools and programs serving children from low-income families throughout greater Detroit. The gift, made possible by Tata Technologies, will put brand new books in the hands of thousands of children in need. Garfield Elementary School will receive the first 740 of the 10,000 books. One of the two books each kindergarten, first and second grader received was an environmentally conscious story by Allison Inches, entitled I Can Save the Earth. The co-branded book by Tata and First Book taught students why it is important to be good to the earth.
Warren Harris, President/COO of Tata Technologies welcomed volunteers and students, sharing about the importance of reading. Later, all the volunteers made their way to pint-sized chairs or onto carpet squares for reading circles and activities with the students. Mrs. Sander’s class, a very active bunch, even led volunteers in songs and hand games after reading.
“Tata Technologies places great emphasis on giving back to the communities of which we are a part,” said Mr. Harris. “Our partnership with First Book highlights both Tata Technologies’ and Tata’s commitment to promoting literacy, and we are pleased and proud that it has allowed us to help support the schools of the metro Detroit area.”
“We are thrilled with Tata Technologies’ decision to further children’s literacy throughout greater Detroit, and to contribute to First Book’s greater mission of providing new books to children across the United States,” said Kyle Zimmer, President and CEO of First Book. “Together, Tata Technologies and the Tata group of companies are helping to provide the tools children need to realize and attain their dreams.”
Thanks to a friendly bet between Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter – a friend of First Book and honorary chair of the 3rd annual Book Bash – and Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, children in Philadelphia and Cincinnati will receive 3,000 new books.
The bet ran between October 6-10, 2010 alongside the National League Division Series between the Phillies and the Reds in which the winning city receives 2,000 books from First Book. And since there are no losers when it comes to books for kids, the losing city receives 1,000 books.
“When children read, it builds confidence and creates a life-long love of learning,” said Mayor Nutter. “The real winner of this bet will be the many children in both cities who will receive increased access to quality, age-appropriate books. “
Here at First Book, we could not agree with Mayor Nutter more. And as always, we are proud to help support children in both Philadelphia and Cincinnati with the resources they need to be successful in school and beyond.
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Nicole, Ian, and Ashley from Blackboard Inc., were up to their elbows in books when they noticed some young, eager faces peeking through the windows of the school gym.
The Blackboard office in the small, rural town of Somerset, KY won the competition, raising enough money for each elementary school and one middle school in Pulaski County to receive 400 books. And they did it one cupcake and crock-pot at a time – holding potlucks and raffling off cheesecakes and a fishing trip.