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This week is National Volunteer Week … so be sure to take a moment to thank your friends and neighbors who volunteer their time and energy to improve the lives of the people in our communities.

First Book was founded twenty years ago on a volunteer model, and our national network of volunteers has grown ever since. Today, there are over 1,000 First Book volunteers in over 160 communities across the country, and we’re adding more all the time. First Book volunteers raise money to provide new books to local schools and programs serving kids from low-income families, and they help First Book’s national offices identify more schools and programs that need our help.

We’ve put a lot of new books into the hands of a lot of children in need in the last twenty years, and we couldn’t have done it without our volunteers. Thank you!

Click here to learn more about volunteering with First Book.

Over twenty years ago I was volunteering every week at a soup kitchen in Washington, D.C., where I met the most amazing children and families. As I got to know them, I saw how much they had to struggle, but I also saw how bright they were and how motivated they were to succeed.

I also learned that most of them didn’t have a single book to call their own, and that broke my heart.

So, along with two good friends, I started First Book, to make sure those kids, and kids like them all across the country, would have brand-new books of their own, and to make sure that the teachers and program leaders working with these children every day would have the books and resources they need to do their jobs.

Twenty years later, First Book has distributed over 90 million books to kids in need, we work with a national network of over 25,000 schools and programs and we have local volunteers raising money in over 150 cities. Volunteers, corporate partners and publishers, working hand-in-hand with teachers, librarians and local nonprofit leaders … it humbles and amazes me how much we’ve been able to accomplish together, and how many lives we’ve been able to change for the better.

But we’ve only just scratched the surface. There are 30 million children living in low-income households in the United States, and we’re only reaching a fraction of them. They’re waiting for us, and they can’t wait any longer.

So we’ve got some big plans to celebrate our 20th anniversary. Before this year is over, we’re going to distribute another 10 million new books, recruit local volunteers in 30 additional cities, and double the number of schools and programs that are connected to First Book’s resources, from 25,000 to 50,000.

We’ve come so far together, and have made so much progress, but there’s more to be done. Join us!

• Donate: Every $2.50 pays for a brand-new, high-quality book for a child in need.
• Volunteer: Work with other members of your community to get books to local schools and programs.
• Spread the word: If you know a teacher, librarian or volunteer who works with kids from low-income families, in any kind of program, help get them signed up with First Book. We’ve got books for them!

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.

Colleen Ludington is a children’s book author, mother of two and community volunteer, and has helped distribute 144,000 new books to children from low-income neighborhood in Charlotte. N.C. over the last five years.

“It’s not just awesome,” she said. “It’s really rewarding.”

Under Ludington’s leadership, First Book’s local Advisory Board in Charlotte has had significant fund-raising success. They throw an annual gala, which raises more money each year. These events require a fair amount of effort and know-how, and the local group meets costs by courting corporate sponsors and underwriters like Time Warner, Cisco, IBM and KPMG. “It can’t be done without that,” said Ludington. “There are certain minimums that it’s going to cost. But we’ve had a lot of success.”

(The board’s 2011 spring gala is May 20. If you’re in the Charlotte area, check it out.)

Ludington has been active in community service most of her life, and she found First Book when she and her family moved to Charlotte. She said that she liked First Book’s mission, it’s specific focus on solving one large problem, and the “economics” of it – the average cost of $2.50 per new book. “To be able to do so much for so little money,” she said. “For most people to give ten dollars … it’s not a hardship.”

She was also moved by the plight of children she saw in low-income schools. One teacher told her that some children resorted to reading the labels on soup cans to complete their required homework of 20 minutes of nightly reading.

“When you stop and consider … there are many, many children in our community who don’t have a single book to snuggle up with at night,” she said. “Until something changes, I don’t see how these kids even have a chance.”

First Book Wants You! Help us get books to kids who need them in your community. To learn more about volunteering, visit us online.

This week is National Volunteer Appreciation Week, and we want to take a moment to say “Thank you!” to all the First Book volunteers – the interns who give their time and knowledge at the First Book offices, the volunteers who come out to our reading parties and book distributions, the high school students and teachers who help us distribute tons of books (literally) each year, and the thousands of members of First Book Advisory Boards all across the country who raise over a million dollars every year to support schools and programs in their local communities.

Thank you!

We couldn’t do it without you.

Do you have a great idea for a children’s story that you’d like to share with millions of people? Well, you are in luck! We are excited to announce that Cheerios® has launched its annual Cheerios® New Author Contest and is searching for the next great children’s book author.

This contest is a part of the Cheerios® Spoonful of Stories program, which has helped to distribute books to children in need and has encouraged millions of parents to read with their children. Each year, one winning submission is published by Simon and Schuster and distributed in millions of Cheerios® boxes throughout the nation. First Book volunteers will read the thousands of submissions for the contest and help to decide the winner.

Laurie Isop of Renton, Wash. was named Grand Prize Winner of the Cheerios® New Author Contest in 2009. In spring 2011, Laurie’s book, How Do You Hug a Porcupine? will be featured in three million specially-marked boxes of Cheerios®, and will be available in bookstores as well; the official release date is July 26, 2011.

If you have a great a story that you’d like to share with children ages three to eight, please visit www.spoonfulsofstoriescontest.com to find out more about this contest. Entries will be accepted from March 22-July 15, 2011.

There were over 8,000 submissions last year, so get to work on your genius idea and good luck!

Bill Burch
Chair of the First Book-Boyd County Advisory Board
Boyd County, Kentucky

Boyd County, KY, is located in the foothills of the Appalachians, along the banks of the Ohio River. It is a rural community, home to less than 50,000 people. But Bill Burch, chair of the local First Book volunteer chapter – known as an Advisory Board – has managed to get thousands of books into the hands of area children in need, and raise the funds to do it locally.

“I understand the impact of reading,” said Burch. “How important it is to children, how important it is for them to have books in their homes.”

The Boyd County Advisory Board has raised over $75,000 since it was founded in 2004 with Burch’s help. Burch estimates they have served around 900 local children since then. Most children who participate in the program receive an average of six books each year.

“The First Book program here in Boyd County has had a tremendous impact,” he said. “I say this all the time, but the only behavioral measure that correlates significantly with reading success is how many books the children have in their homes.”

The challenges of running a charitable organization in a place like Boyd County are not insignificant, said Burch, who spent 32 years as a teacher, principal and coach in local public schools. The unemployment rate is high, many people lack a high school education, and prescription drug abuse has “hit particularly hard”.

But the job needs doing, and it can be done. Members of the Boyd County Advisory Board (there are 24 members, including several high school students) have helped other rural areas start Advisory Boards of their own – Greenup and Carter County in Kentucky, and Huntington in West Virginia.

“Most rural areas think they can’t generate money, but they can,” Burch said. People are willing to help out when it comes to getting books into the hands of at-risk children, he has learned.

“I’d be willing to help anyone who wants to start a board,” Burch said. “I’ll tell them how we do it.”

First Book Wants You! Help us get books to kids who need them in your community. To learn more about volunteering, visit us online.

Build-A-Bear Workshop is one of First Book’s generous partners, and we love their Huggable Heroes program, which recognizes young leaders (ages 8 to 18) who are involved with community service projects in their towns and neighborhoods all over the world.

Every year, Build-A-Bear Workshop picks ten inspiring young people from the list of nominees – each of whom receives a $7,500 college scholarship, a $2,500 donation to the charitable cause of their choice, a video camera and a three-day trip to meet other Huggable Heroes.

It’s not too late to nominate a service-minded young person in your family or community! You can nominate someone online.

In fact, we’re such big fans of this project that we decided to nominate a member of the First Book family: Lauren McLester–Davis, age 14, a resident of De Pere, Wisconsin and the founder of First Book-Greater Green Bay (one of many First Book Advisory Boards – local volunteer groups – around the country).

Several years ago, Lauren volunteered as a “reading buddy” for children from low-income homes at a local children’s bookstore in her home of De Pere, Wisconsin. One of her reading buddies told her that he had no books of his own at home. Moved by this, and realizing that her friend was one of many in the greater Green Bay area, Lauren decided to do something to make a difference. She found First Book online, and started a local Advisory Board.

Only a few years later, the Board has raised funds to distribute thousands of books to students at Title I schools and other programs in Green Bay. With her mother’s help, Lauren recently applied for – and won – a $2,500 grant from the Green Bay Packers to help get more books into the hands of children in need.

We love all our big-hearted and hard-working volunteers, but for someone to do so much amazing work for her community at such a young age (First Book is only one of Lauren’s many community service projects) is truly inspiring. Which is why Lauren is our nominee for Huggable Hero.

Lou Hull
Chair of First Book Fox Valley Advisory Board
Appleton, Wisconsin

Several years ago, Lou Hull read a book called ‘Seedfolks’ that had a major impact on her life. The book, a short novel by Paul Fleischman, tells the story of a group of people in Cleveland who transform a vacant lot into a community garden. Hull was powerfully affected by the book’s message of overcoming fear and division to build a sense of community.

“I wasn’t sleeping at night, because the messages in the book resonated so strongly and I wanted people to read it,” she said.

For the next year and a half, Hull made it her mission to get the people of Appleton, Wis. to read ‘Seedfolks’.  She organized local reading events, arranged for a thousand copies of the book to be distributed and visited schools, universities, libraries and community groups to get the word out. The author himself found out about Hull’s efforts after several Appleton students wrote to him, and he traveled to Wisconsin to spend several days with Hull and other members of the community. He even got to see a local stage production of the book while he was visiting.

Thanks to Hull, nearly 20,000 people in Appleton have read the book. “I have to say that it was the most important thing I have done in my professional life,” she said.

That experience led her to a local volunteer chapter of First Book — known as an Advisory Board — who initially helped her with the ‘Seedfolks’ project, and when it was over, asked her to join the board.

Since taking over as chair, Hull has helped First Book’s Fox Valley Advisory Board expand into nearby towns to reach more children in low-income neighborhoods and Title I schools. She has  helped raise the group’s profile, as well as ensure their fund-raising efforts promote  literacy.  (At a recent fund-raiser a local meteorologist read ‘Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs’ to a group of children, who, in turn, read the book to “reading dogs“).

“We’re working hard to get more well-known in the community, because it helps us raise more money,” Hull said. “And the more money we raise, the more books we can get to the kids. People love it that they can give ten dollars and that money goes to buy books. ”

Hull works in a charter school library, and is involved in numerous other volunteer activities, including diversity presentations at local schools. The thread that runs through all of these, she says, is the importance of educating children, and reading is the key – not just the skill of reading, but the love of it.

“Reading is the basis of everything, especially with education,” Hull said. “If you can’t read, you can’t study social studies, you can’t learn geography, you can’t do word problems. And even if you have the skills to read, if you don’t enjoy reading, you’re not going to do it.”

First Book Wants You! Help us get books to kids who need them in your community. To learn more about volunteering, visit us online.

Ashleigh Udalovas is the chair of a local First Book Advisory Board in Cumberland County, New Jersey, and a strong supporter of children’s literacy. She is also Miss New Jersey, and we want to help her become Miss America! Not only because she’s one of First Book’s hard-working volunteers, but because her personal platform is about promoting the importance of reading and literacy, something we agree with wholeheartedly.

You can watch Ashleigh’s official video online (it’s short!), and then cast your vote.

Four Ways to Vote
Vote for Ashleigh on your phone, on the web, on Facebook or on YouTube.

• Using your mobile phone, text MANJ to 24470.
• Vote online at http://www.missamerica.org/videocontest
• “Like” her video on Facebook
• “Like” her video on YouTube

If she wins, Ashleigh will promote First Book and children’s literacy at the national level, traveling over 20,000 miles a month and speaking to thousands of potential volunteers and sponsors throughout the year … all while still managing her duties as chair of Cumberland County’s First Book local Advisory Board.

Don’t forget to tune in to the 2011 Miss America Pageant, presented live from Las Vegas on Saturday, Jan. 15 on ABC to (hopefully) see Ashleigh win the crown.

2010 was a big year for First Book, and we couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks to our friends, fans, and generous supporters, we have a lot to celebrate.

Here are some of the cool things you helped make possible this past year:

We Reached the Milestone of 80 Million Books
At our annual Book Bash fund-raiser in New York City, we handed a basket of books to Round the Clock Nursery. One of the books in that basket was the 80 millionth book that First Book has distributed to kids in need since our founding in 1992.

We Shared the Stage With World Leaders
Kyle Zimmer, our president and co-founder, spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Kyle discussed the impact and importance of the First Book Marketplace as a leading model for social entrepreneurship.

We Worked in Our Local Communities
Local First Book volunteer groups (known as Advisory Boards) in cities, towns and counties nationwide helped distribute $3 million worth of new books to kids in their communities.

We Teamed Up With ‘Reading is Fundamental’
First Book and Reading is Fundamental (RIF) joined forces to provide 600,000 new books to children in RIF programs across the country.

We Added New Books to Our Marketplace
We added lots of great new titles to our online Marketplace – including authors like Eric Carle, Jeff Kinney, Susan Meddaugh, Mo Willems and many others – so teachers and program leaders have even more choices.

We Got People to See Waiting for “Superman”
First Book was excited to kick off the pledge campaign as a promotional partner for this powerful documentary film.

We Released Special Editions
First Book continued one of our favorite traditions this year, releasing several new special editions, including Mo Willems’ Elephant & Piggie books and Eileen Spinelli’s ‘While You Are Away’.

We Distributed One Million Books With Target
To celebrate the launch of the ‘Read With Me’ campaign, Target helped us distribute one million new books to schools across the country. When a million people pledge to commit to read with a child, Target will provide another million books.

We Read a Lot of Short Stories
Volunteers from First Book’s local Advisory Boards read nearly 8,000 stories submitted through the Cheerios® New Author Contest in order to pick the top 25. That’s more than twice as many submissions as last year!  (Check back in March to read the winning entry).

We Helped Kids Learn About Science and Math<

First Book Advisory Boards (ABs) are committees of volunteers that implement the First Book mission in their local communities by raising money and providing books grants to programs that serve children in need.  Here are a few stories that highlight the great work being done by First Book Advisory Boards across the country.

First Book-Sussex Valley, NJ participated in a local community event and raised money to grant books to community children. During Second Saturday, a local fair in downtown Newton, New Jersey, the advisory board sold raffle tickets for a brown bear quilt to provide new books to Sussex County children.

First Book-Mahoning Valley, OH recently participated in the Austintown Library’s Princess party, a gathering for local girls that raised money for children’s programs at the library, and also created tiaras to give to the local hospital. First Book-Mahoning Valley provided copies of “Harold and the Purple Crayon” to attendees.

First Book- Clallam County, WA recently partnered up with the First Step Family Support Center’s Read First Program to provide books for a family pajama party night.  Attendees watched a free showing of “Charlotte’s Web” and each family received a new book to take home.

First Book is always seeking energetic, entrepreneurial volunteers to join our Advisory Boards or to help us start new ones.  If you’d like to get involved, please see the In Your Community section of the First Book website.

First Book Advisory Boards (ABs) are committees of volunteers that implement the First Book mission in their local communities by raising money and providing books grants to programs that serve children in need.  Here are a few stories that highlight the great work being done by First Book Advisory Boards across the country.

First Book-Clearfield County, PA recently held a book distribution for children in the Clearfield County, Pennsylvania area. Each child who attended received a free book and got to meet Clifford the Big Red Dog. The Advisory Board worked with local groups to make the event possible.

First Book-Cumberland County, NJ’s founding member, Ashleigh Udalovas, has recently been named the Outstanding Citizen for October by The Greater Millville Chamber of Commerce. Along with starting her local advisory board, Ashleigh is the reigning Miss New Jersey. Ashleigh uses her position to promote her platform, “Read to Succeed: Improving America’s Future Through Literacy.” Congratulations, Ashleigh!

First Book-Greater Richmond, VA recently granted Beulah Elementary School 3,992 books, enough to provide 6 books for every eligible student this year. The grant was celebrated at the Books & Breakfast event, where every child was able to choose a book to read and take home.

First Book-Horry County, SC recently teamed up with their local Barnes & Noble to present the American Girl Tea Party & Book Fair. The event was in the style of a tea party for young girls and their American Girl dolls to celebrate the new InnerStar University doll for 2010. A portion of the sales made during the event along with the money raised from a raffle for an American Girl doll went to benefit First Book.

In preparation for their celebration of Awareness Week, November 8-13, First Book-Rhodes College, TN was featured in the Rhodes College News.  “One of our big goals this year is to focus on Awareness Week,” co-chair Jerica Sandifer ’12 says. “We [want to] move from just being a fundraising organization to being an advocacy organization too. We are getting at the root cause of illiteracy.”

First Book is always seeking energetic, entrepreneurial volunteers to join our Advisory Boards or to help us start new ones.  If you’d like to get involved, please see the In Your Community section of the First Book website.

Name: Ben B.

What do you do at FB?

I work directly with the Advisory Boards as the     Community Development Manager.

Tell us a fun fact about you?

I have been in several local Ohio rock bands that opened for National Recording acts.

Whats on your nightstand now?

Matilda, by Roald Dahl

Book you’ve faked reading:

Moby Dick, AND… faked a 30 page paper about it too.

Do you have a favorite quote or saying you live by?

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi. I even have it tattooed on my wrist.

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Peter Hedges

First Book Advisory Boards (ABs) are committees of volunteers that implement the First Book mission in their local communities by raising money and providing books grants to programs that serve children in need.  Here are a few stories that highlight the great work being done by First Book Advisory Boards across the country.

First Book-East Coachella Valley, CA’s own Kathy Kronemeyer was recently spotlighted in The Desert Sun for her work in the Desert Sands Unified School District. After retiring last year, Kronemeyer began volunteering in the afterschool program at Jackson School, directing both the drama and technology clubs there, along with serving on her local First Book Advisory Board. We thank Ms. Kronemeyer for her support of First Book and education!

First Book-Bakersfield, CA announced their fall book distribution for pre-K to 2nd grade classes in Kern County.  Applications are being accepted until September 24th. Since 2001, First Book-Bakersfield has granted more than 14,000 books to young students in Kern County.

Misericorida University was recently ranked by Washington Monthly magazine as being in the top 12% of  college and universities for stressing social mobility of students and service to the greater community. Misericordia students ranked fourth in the nation for community involvement. First-Book Misericordia is a great example of how Misericordia students are giving back to their communities!

First Book-Sussex County, NJ hosted a book reading and signing event at An Open Book Bookstore on September 12th. The event featured five children’s authors: Wendy Mass, Lee Harper, Irene Breznak, Dianne Ochiltree and Alison Formento. A $5 donation for each family will go to the Advisory Board so they can grant books to local programs in Sussex County, New Jersey.

First Book is always seeking energetic, entrepreneurial volunteers to join our Advisory Boards or to help us start new ones.  If you’d like to get involved, please see the In Your Community section of the First Book website.

First Book Advisory Boards (ABs) are committees of volunteers that implement the First Book mission in their local communities by raising money and providing books grants to programs that serve children in need.  Here are a few stories that highlight the great work being done by First Book Advisory Boards across the country.

First Book-Erie, PA was recently highlighted for their work with another organization called Books for Kids to grant books to a local program.  “Odessa’s Place”, the recipient of the books, hosts a summer program for children in Erie.

First Book-Greater New Orleans announced they are accepting grant applications from local programs that are registered with First Book.  The Board also hosted a Get Hooked on Books event on August 6th.  The event included a book distribution, celebrity story readers, entertainment and refreshments.

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation made awards to 10 literacy programs in Charles County, MD including First Book-Charles County to distribute books to children in need. Congratulations, First Book-Charles County!

To help kick off Philadelphia’s summer service challenge “Let’s Read, Let’s Move,” First Book is distributing 170,000 books to children from low-income families in Philadelphia. This further expands the presence of First Book in Philadelphia.  Last year, First Book-Philadelphia served 3,334 children in Philadelphia by providing 21,568 books.

First Book is always seeking energetic, entrepreneurial volunteers to join our Advisory Boards or to help us start new ones.  If you’d like to get involved, please see the In Your Community section of the First Book website.

First Book Advisory Boards (ABs) are committees of volunteers that implement the First Book mission in their local communities by raising money and providing books grants to programs that serve children in need.  Here are a few stories that highlight the great work being done by First Book Advisory Boards across the country.

Amy Neral represented the First Book-Mahoning Valley, Ohio Advisory Board recently on Live at Five, a local news program, in order to speak about the importance of literacy.  Mahoning Valley also helped ring in the summer with a Family Fun Day in order to raise money for First Book. Author Chris Yambar of Simpson’s Comics was present to sign autographs, while several vendors set up at the event with proceeds going to First Book-Mahoning Valley.

First-Book Trumbull County, Ohio put creativity back into fundraising when they hosted a Trunk Sale at a local church parking lot. Parking spaces that were sold to raise money for First Book-Trumbull County. Vendors could then park their car and load it up with saleable items.

First Book-Portland, Oregon was recently spotlighted in an article on OregonLive.com. The piece highlighted the great work done by First Book-Portland, including the Advisory Board’s recent grants of nearly $5,000 in book awards to four local recipient groups. Keep up the good work!

Board member Anthony Daniels recently represented the new First Book-North Alabama Advisory Board in a segment on WAAY31 TV. Daniels used his time on the air to talk about First Book and to encourage viewers to vote for Alabama in the Cheerios 100,000 Book Giveaway.  First Book-North Alabama is a great example of using local media to help further the mission of First Book.  They have received a lot of interest in their work from this article.

First Book is always seeking energetic, entrepreneurial volunteers to join our Advisory Boards or to help us start new ones.  If you’d like to get involved, please see the In Your Community section of the First Book website.

For those that follow the First Book Blog you know that this is our portal to share detailed news about what First Book is doing nationally with partners, at events and sharing how our local Advisory Board volunteers are getting thousands of books to kids in over 270 communities across the United States.

Since there is always more to know about literacy, education and books news, consider following us on Twitter,  fanning us or adding us as a cause on Facebook.

In addition to helping programs learn more about First Book and other education issues, we are excited to have the opportunity to engage in a broader conversation with First Book supporters, find new supporters and of course, have a little fun! If you have not already seen our Facebook polls check out this weeks which asks: “Which child detective(s) would you want to solve your crime?” Look out for a new poll every Wednesday and feel free to comment if we missed your favorite child detective!

• Cam Jansen
• Encyclopedia Brown
• Hardy Boys
• Nancy Drew
• The Boxcar Children
• Nate the Great
• Sammy Keyes
• The Famous Five