All of us at Kids Need to Read would like to thank everyone who has so generously supported us since we began just five months ago. Because of you, we have been able to give new books to 27 libraries and library systems so far. Most exciting of all is the gigantic pallet-load of brand new books we are assisting in giving to the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library. Helping the libraries and schools of New Orleans in their recovery from Hurricane Katrina is distinctly gratifying for us.
For the upcoming year, we have chosen to take the Odessa Brown Clinic under our wings. This children’s clinic in Seattle Washington is an extension of Children’s Hospital and serves many low-income families. They never turn anyone away due to their inability to pay. They offer a book to every child who walks in their door, relying on private donations to do so. This year their book budget fell from $10,000 to $2,000 due to loss of private funding. We love the Odessa Brown Clinic’s dedication to getting books into the hands of kids who cannot afford them, which is a perfect fit with the mission of our organization. February will be specifically dedicated to raising funds for the clinic, so please be sure to help us out in this special endeavor. If you belong to a group looking for a worthy project to assist and think you might like to contribute to the Odessa Brown Clinic drive, please drop us a message and we’ll work with you.
The Phoenix Cactus Comicon is coming up January 26-27, 2008 and will be extremely exciting for Kids Need to Read. Author PJ Haarsma and KNTR volunteers will be there working and having fun. Please come see us! We’d love to meet you.
We would like to take a moment to express our deep appreciation to our sponsors and to those individuals who have so kindly donated so many beautiful items for our auctions. It is you who make it possible for us to give new books to kids who need them.
We wish you all a wonderful New Year!
