Written by Denise Gary
Photos courtesy of Girls Incorporated of Omaha
One of the most fun and rewarding aspects of Kids Need to Read is the variety of its donations. Our foundation supports literacy programs of all types, provided they demonstrate that the books will be used in a productive manner. Funding sources can also be diverse and interesting. Our recent donation to Girls Incorporated of Omaha (Nebraska) has a unique back story, originating from the charitable leanings of the “Browncoat” supporters of our co-founder, actor Nathan Fillion.
An international fundraiser is conducted every year to raise money for Equality Now, an organization dedicated to ending violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world. Fans of writer/director Joss Whedon conduct this fundraiser, which is named Can’t Stop the Serenity. A number of Can’t Stop the Serenity groups donate a portion of their proceeds to Kids Need to Read, as well.
Much of the money raised in this effort comes from special screenings of the movie Serenity. Other funds are raised through auctions, raffles, and sales of merchandise. To show our appreciation, Kids Need to Read pledged a $500 book donation as a prize in the global, online prize drawing. The winner would be allowed to choose the recipient of the donation, and the donation would then be made in the winner’s honor.
Jennifer Thursfield, a citizen of England, won the Kids Need to Read prize. Thursfield could not have been more thrilled about her prize and took the donation recipient selection to heart. Since Equality Now deals with issues regarding women and girls, Kids Need to Read presented Girls Incorporated of Omaha to Thursfield as a possible recipient of her gift. Executive Director Roberta Wilhelm presented this description of the Girls Inc. of Omaha program in her application to Kids Need to Read:
Girls Inc. of Omaha has been serving girls ages 5 to 18 for nearly 35 years with gender-specific, research-based programming—inspiring them to be “strong, smart, and bold.” Our two centers are in underserved, economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in north and south Omaha. Seventy-one percent of our members come from households with an annual income of less than $30,000. Ninety-one percent are minorities, only 21% live with both parents and 22% live in foster care.
Thursfield agreed that Girls Inc. of Omaha was the perfect recipient of her Can’t Stop the Serenity prize. Because several Can’t Stop the Serenity groups were very generous to Kids Need to Read, we decided to increase the value of the gift from $500 to $1,000 in books. The final value rose to several thousand dollars with the inclusion of 400 Highlights and 100 Highlights High Five magazines, as well as one year subscriptions to both magazines for Girls Incorporated of Omaha.
Said Wilhelm of the donation:
We are thrilled about receiving both the books and Highlights magazines. Rest assured we will milk every book for all it’s worth. At Girls Inc., every book pretty much fulfills its Karmic destiny. We use books in our programs, for free time reading, and to loan to girls and their families. . . . While we accept donations of any books that are age appropriate, the kind of books you describe – books with messages of hope, courage, compassion, kindness, friendship, love, tolerance and perseverance – are the kinds of books we treasure and know the girls will, too.
Perhaps the most beautiful testament of appreciation for the donation is this simple statement from one of the girls:
When asked if she found a book she would like to read in the Kids Need to Read shipment, Jessica said, “I found an entire series.”
It has always been the policy of Kids Need to Read to provide complete series of books. We always want to encourage the children to read on and never want to cause them to wish they could read the rest of the books, if only they had them available.
Wilhelm posted this short video clip of the girls enjoying their Highlights magazines.
We thank Jennifer Thursfield for her giving spirit and are pleased to have been able to provide books to Girls Inc. of Omaha on her behalf. We also thank the many Browncoats who so generously raised funds for Kids Need to Read during their Serenity screenings, as well as the anonymous donor who contributed to the Can’t Stop the Serenity Global prize drawing in Kids Need to Read’s name. This donation reflects the kindness of all of you.
Austin Browncoats
North Carolina Browncoats
NoVA Browncoats Meetup Group
Whedonites United
and
Highlights for Children
