It’s been over 10 years since Mr. Wilbert Scott and Cashadell Lewis first met, but both remember it like it was yesterday.
“My name is Cashadell, but you can call me Cash,” said Lewis.
“You call me Mr. Scott. And I will call you Cashadell Lewis,” Mr. Scott replied.
“When I first saw Mr. Scott, I knew he didn’t play,” recalls Cashadell. “And even though I didn’t want it at the time, I knew I needed someone like him.”
Mr. Scott had been paired with Cashadell as a Power Lunch reading mentor with Everybody Wins! Atlanta. The program, now in its 18th year, pairs volunteer reading mentors from local businesses and community organizations with first through fifth grade students identified by their teachers as reading below their grade level. Nearly 90 percent of the 550 students who currently participate in the Power Lunch program live in poverty. Many have no books at home.
Every Thursday, Mr. Scott visited Hope-Hill Elementary School to read aloud with Cashadell over the lunch hour. As weeks turned into years, Cashadell grew into a stronger reader and developed a special bond with Mr. Scott.
Now a mentor and a friend, Mr. Scott sees Cashadell graduating from college and returning to Hope-Hill Elementary as a mentor himself. And when he does, First Book will be there to support him.
Since June 2011, First Book has provided Everybody Wins! Atlanta with 10,126 books. The books are used to stock book carts, which hold hundreds of books for reading pairs to choose from, at the 11 schools that participate in the Power Lunch program. Each Power Lunch student also receives at least three new books to take home every year.
Last year, students got to take home even more books, thanks to our friends at dd’s DISCOUNTS. The local dd’s DISCOUNTS store raised funds to help provide over 700 brand-new books to Everybody Wins! Atlanta.
Help more kids more kids like Cashadell read, learn and succeed. Join dd’s DISCOUNTS in providing new books to outstanding programs like Everybody Wins! Atlanta by making a gift to First Book today.
The post Once a Mentor, Forever a Friend appeared first on First Book Blog.
dd’s DISCOUNTS is celebrating the back-to-school season with their annual Youth Literacy Fundraiser, an in-store donation drive that provides new books to local children in need through First Book.
Through Sept. 3, you can make a donation at the register of any of the 104 dd’s DISCOUNTS stores – 100% of your donation will go to provide brand-new, high-quality books to local schools and community programs and dd’s DISCOUNTS will match all donations, dollar for dollar, up to $25,000.
Since 2009, dd’s DISCOUNTS and their customers have generously contributed more than 100,000 books to programs in dd’s hometowns across the country.
To find a dd’s DISCOUNTS store near you, visit http://www.ddsdiscounts.com. If there’s not a store in your area, you can still get involved by telling a friend about the Youth Literacy Fundraiser on Facebook or Twitter.
Today’s guest blog post is from Julia Falkenstern, a Strategic Alliances coordinator at First Book. Julia works with First Book’s corporate partners to ensure that children from low-income families throughout the country have the opportunity to own new books.
This past Saturday marked the kickoff of the third annual dd’s DISCOUNTS in-store donation drive. The back-to-school fundraiser provides brand new books through First Book to local programs serving children in need.
Each dd’s DISCOUNTS store is connected with a local group from First Book’s network of registered schools and programs that serve children from low-income families. You can visit one of dd’s DISCOUNTS’ 78 locations across Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Texas to make a donation at the register that will directly support a program in the local community.
Now through September 5th, 100% of your donation will provide brand new, high quality books to the local program supported by your dd’s store. dd’s DISCOUNTS is also matching donations, up to $25,000, to help even more children in dd’s communities discover the magic of reading.
For a list of dd’s DISCOUNTS locations, visit www.ddsdiscounts.com.
In its second annual in-store donation drive to support First Book and children’s literacy, dd’s DISCOUNTS generated an incredible $126,065 to fund new books for kids in need. Between August 14 and September 7, customers at all 57 store locations in California, Texas, Florida, Nevada and Arizona donated $101,065 and triggered an additional corporate match of $25,000.
The donated funds will help more than 70 local literacy programs purchase brand new books and resources from the First Book Marketplace. In 2009, dd’s DISCOUNTS stores donated a total of $69,590 to support First Book programs in their communities. This year, before the donation drive began, dd’s team members met with leaders from the local programs set to benefit from their fundraising. After hearing about how the programs plan to use their books to better serve children in need, the dd’s employees and managers were more motivated than ever to fundraise for their communities.
Thank you to all of the dd’s DISCOUNTS team members for their dedication and enthusiasm, and thank you to all of you who donated at your local dd’s DISCOUNTS store last month!
First Book thanks dd’s DISCOUNTS and their customers for their incredible generosity during this year’s in-store fundraiser. In just three weeks, dd’s DISCOUNTS stores and customers raised nearly $70,000, which will provide close to 30,000 brand new books to children in need in 44 schools and community groups in CA, TX, AZ and FL. A huge thanks goes out to everyone who made this promotion such a great success!
First Book is pleased to announce an in-store donation drive with dd’s DISCOUNTS in support of literacy efforts. Between August 15 and September 7, 2009, customers can make a donation at the point of sale at dd’s DISCOUNTS 51 store locations throughout California, Texas, Arizona and Florida.
Each donation of $2.00 will provide a brand new book to a child in the local community, and dd’s DISCOUNTS will match donations, up to $25,000. All funds raised will go directly to purchase new books in support of youth development programs located in dd’s DISCOUNTS communities. For more information about dd’s DISCOUNTS, please visit www.ddsdiscounts.com.
