By Denise Gary
Photographs © Denise Gary
For the third year in a row, Kids Need to Read has been the fortunate recipient of incredible book drives conducted by two local Barnes & Noble Booksellers over the holidays. The 2012 drive was the largest yet, more than doubling the amount of books collected in 2011. This is the direct result of the remarkable commitment to children’s literacy of the stores’ employees and community relations managers, as well as the people of the local community. Their efforts have resulted in thousands of books being provided to nineteen grateful schools and literacy programs on our waiting list, with more organizations upcoming. Book recipients so far have included eleven elementary schools, two middle schools, three high schools, and three community outreach programs. Sarah James of Chandler Fashion Mall (Chandler, AZ) and J. Paul Deason (pictured above) of Dana Park Village Square (Mesa, AZ) rallied their respective stores to gather an astonishing total of 5,155 brand new books valued at $28,125 during their 2012 Holiday Book Drives! These books were of excellent quality for children and adolescents, so there was something for everyone. We used the books in combination with other KNTR books to create exciting packages for organizations desperately seeking reading resources for the kids they are teaching or assisting. (See letters below.)
Both stores promoted the book drives at their sales counters and by holding special events during the drives. The Chandler location kicked off their drive by hosting a signing with author and KNTR founder PJ Haarsma (The Softwire series), and author Frank Beddor (The Looking Glass Wars series). Thank you, PJ and Frank, for being so accommodating!
Two weeks before Christmas, members of Arizona Avengers and Justice League Arizona supported the Chandler drive during the “Superheroes Support Reading” event. Customers were able to have their picture taken with superheroes and donate a book to the Kids Need to Read book drive.
Spiderman provided web-making lessons.
Our superheroes were joined by real-life heroes! Thank you to Arizona Avengers and Justice League Arizona for being KNTR heroes, as well as to these Marines for safeguarding our peace and liberty.
Kids Need to Read spent the two weekends before Christmas in the beautiful courtyard outside the Mesa Barnes & Noble location wrapping presents for donations and raising awareness for the book drive.
Folks who bought presents inside the store were able to have them wrapped on the way out.
Some even brought bundles from their car or home to have our volunteer elves wrap them up pretty in holiday paper supplied by the store. Lori Cothrun (pictured below), CRM of KNTR Geek Prom sponsor Bookmans Entertainment Exchange, made a special trip to support the book drive. Thank you, Lori, for being such a great champion of our cause!
Inside, the Barnes & Noble holiday book drive benefiting KNTR was going strong. Kids Need to Read raised $720 in donations through the gift wrapping fundraiser. Thank you, Kids Need to Read volunteers, for your hard work outside in the cold!
The Barnes & Noble book drives directly impact our ability to expand the assistance we provide to the most disadvantaged children. We sincerely thank Sarah James, J. Paul Deason, the teams at Barnes & Noble Chandler and Barnes & Noble Mesa, and their gracious customers for reaching out to help children experience the joy of new books and reading through the assistance of Kids Need to Read!
Letters of Thanks
©Andrea Haug
Andrea Haug
Teacher, Hampton Elementary School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
February 12, 2013
Words cannot express our gratitude for all of the books that were sent to our school. It was like Christmas for us as teachers to receive these gifts for the children. It is an outstanding donation that will bring huge smiles to our children’s faces. From the little hands of my children we have attached something special for you (pictured above).
I personally am the teacher of 30 of these beautiful K4 students. As a teacher of such a great group of children, I wanted to send you a letter of appreciation. Our class consists of blossoming students, of which all are from low-income families. They attend a public school that is located in the inner city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Due to many aspects we have lost an enormous amount of funding, and have no budget to purchase classroom resources. Your materials that were donated will help not only my current class but future students as well. It is inspiring to know that there are people that are willing to support the needs of our young children, and assist in the educational development for so many students. All of your books donated are a great asset to our classroom, and will be used to support many additional teachings for the young learners.
I am overwhelmed by the kind-hearted support and generosity shown by your donations. As a teacher it is very encouraging to know that so many people out there like yourself are willing to fund the needs of young minds. As I watch these innocent faces every day smile as they are grasping new concepts and are building their knowledge base, it is inspiring to know that I am not alone. I can’t show enough gratitude for what you have done. I highly encourage you to continue your generous acts of kindness, because they never go unnoticed. Please know that they have positively impacted so many lives.
Heather Anguiano
Principal, Hartford Sylvia Encinas Elementary School, Chandler, Arizona
February 13, 2013
Thank you very much for your generous donation to our school. We serve over 800 students, with 95% coming from poverty. With your donation we will be able to put a book in each child’s hands. Readers are leaders, and with your support, we are making this a reality.
Linda Dunham
Librarian, DeQuincy Elementary School, DeQuincy, Louisiana
Febuary 18, 2013
What a wonderful Valentine’s Surprise! The library books arrived at DeQuincy Elementary School at noon on Valentines’ Day. The love of books and reading was shared by you to the students of our school. The titles of the books were ones that the students [are] excited to read. You made Valentine’s Day special for the students of DeQuincy Elementary. Words cannot express the appreciation we have for your generosity of money and time that you dedicated to choosing these books for our school.
Photo Galleries:
Reading Revolution: PJ Haarsma and Frank Beddor Inspire Literacy and Imagination
Superheroes Support Barnes & Noble Holiday Book Drive for KNTR
Barnes & Noble Giftwrapping Fundraiser
