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Meet the staff members that make the First Book magic possible!

Name: ToniAnn C.

Where is your hometown? New Orleans, LA

What do you do at First Book? As an intern in the communications department, I have been able to take on projects of my own such as writing blog posts, organizing and condensing media clips, research to benefit First Book, pitching events to journalists and an overall sprucing up of my writing and professional skills.

What have you learned by working at First Book? I have learned a lot about what First Book does over the last four months and also what I can do; not only as an intern but as an individual preparing to take on the world after graduation.  My experience working in the communications department have provided me not only with experience but with confidence. I am thankful for the opportunity First Book has allowed me and I know I will continue to follow First Book as I move along in my own professional life.

What are you reading now? A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. I figured I needed to, being from New Orleans and all.

What’s one fun fact about you? From September to December of 2008, I visited 8 different countries.

Do you have any hobbies? I have danced classical ballet for over sixteen years and have attended many summer dance programs from Houston to New York.

What’s one quote that you live by? “Nothing ever happens the way you think it will, but everything happens for a reason.”

Memorial Day weekend is the traditional kick off for the summer season.  For me, it’s also an excuse to eat more ice cream than I should and it marks the start of a new season of reading.  Although I probably read the most in the winter, when it’s cold outside and toasty warm inside, nothing is quite like a good book at the beach or under a shady tree in the park.

This summer my book club is reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, a debut novel by Jamie Ford.  I also hope to read two books I received for my birthday, The Zookeeper’s Wife and The Piano Teacher.   I’d like to finally get to the last two Harry Potter books as well. (I know I’m way behind the times on this one!)

My complete reading list would probably take me at least 5 years to get through, but still I’m always looking for more good reads.  I asked some of my colleagues what they were reading this summer.  A few were too shy to divulge their “fluff” reads.  (I think summer is the perfect time for some fluff!) Anna said that she’s taking the mystery Mudbound by Hillary Jordan to the beach and Rose said she will be reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Return of Sherlock Holmes and Alan Bradley’s The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

Bonnie is taking on the classics starting with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn followed by a long list that ends with A Farewell to Arms.  Now this is something I’ve always wanted to do but have never had the courage.  Like Bonnie, I somehow missed a lot of classic reading as a kid.

In addition to reading Hidden Kitchens by The Kitchen Sisters by Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva and The Black Book of Hollywood Diet Secrets by Kym Douglas and Cindy Pearlman (her fluff read), Caroline had some fun summer reading plans.  “I plan to read the Complete Adventures of Curious George to my two nephews.  Curious George is my favorite childhood reading and I want to share this anthology with the boys.”

So, what’s on your summer reading list?

Meet the staff members that make the First Book magic possible!

Name: Diane N.

Where is your hometown? Bradenton, FL

What do you do at First Book? As a manager on our Strategic Alliances team, I support our corporate partners on cause-marketing campaigns that generate funding for our work.

What are you reading now? The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.

What’s one fun fact about you? I’m getting married in May in my hometown (see above!).

Who’s your hero (storybook or otherwise)? Roald Dahl’s Matilda.  Smart and fearless.

If you could have an endless supply of any food, what food would it be? Fresh guacamole.

Meet the staff members that make the First Book magic possible!

Name: Andy W.

Where is your hometown? Vienna, VA

What do you do at First Book? I am a Manager of the National Book Bank and Marketplace, which means I run many of the book distributions we conduct around the country each year, as well as process shipments that come through our online store.

What are you reading now? A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

What’s one fun fact about you? I was on “The Price is Right” back when Bob Barker was host.  I won a kitchen island, along with instant fame and fortune.

What’s one of your hobbies? I enjoy acting in my spare time, and am currently honing my skills at the Studio Theater Acting Conservatory in D.C.

Where is the most exciting, exotic or interesting place you have visited? Queenstown, New Zealand: you feel like you’re on top of the world at the bottom of the world.

We here at First Book are so excited to join together with Disney and Fandango to celebrate the movie Bedtime Stories! With one day left until the launch, the First Book staff decided to have a little fun! Check out this video to see what we are all going to be doing on December 25th.

Remember, there is still time to purchase your tickets for Disney’s Bedtime Stories in theaters tomorrow!

Happy Holidays!

The holiday season has begun here at First Book! Our homepage is decorated and our logo has been shielded from the cold with mittens.

Check out the holiday homepage to see all of the wonderful things happening at First Book!

Here are three easy ways to get involved this season:

1. Give new books to children in need
2. Shop to support First Book with a range of product offerings from
3. Register to receive books for your program

Happy holidays, and thank you for your support!

After reading about the results of Tuesday’s election today, I’ve been reminded how important literacy is to our daily lives, and more specifically, how it effects our ability to be active participants in our democracy. Lynda, a First Book staff member here in our Washington, D.C. office, got a chance to see literacy and citizenship in action on election day, while volunteering at her neighborhood polling place. Below she shares a recap of the day’s events as well as some of her thoughts on making a difference in her community.

6:30 am: With polls in Maryland opening at 7:00 am, there are already 250 people in line. Everyone is ready to make history!

12:00 noon: More than 600 voters have cast their ballot and were in good spirits, even after a two-hour wait for some.

4:00 pm: Everyone on my street has cast their ballot. My favorite person of the day so far has been the blind  gentleman who came with his brother to vote in this election. He said he never thought he would live to “see” the day a black man would have a chance to be president. Being here at my precinct reminds me of the wonderful diversity of our neighborhood. Today has felt like being at a reunion or a street party.

5:00 pm: Three more hours to go before the polls close and folks are still straggling in.

11:00 pm: What a day and night! I am just getting home from the precinct and feel as though I’ve been run over by a truck. Our last two voters came in at 7:59 pm, before the polls closed at 8:00 pm. Our precinct had at least a 85% voter turn out which is incredible in this area of Maryland. People coming into the polls were all talking about being ready for a change. A change is about to come to the United States of America and I am glad to be able to witness the occasion.

Thanks, Lynda, for sharing your story and to everyone who took the time to cast their vote on Tuesday!

Last Thursday Washington, D.C. saw an advance screening of Fox Searchlight Pictures Feature Film’s The Secret Life of Bees – based on the best-selling and critically acclaimed book by Sue Monk Kidd.

As one of the movie’s promotional partners, First Book was thrilled to send a team of its own to attend the red carpet premiere, hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus at the beautiful new Newseum. Several members of the star-studded cast were on hand to celebrate, including: Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, and Sophie Okonedo.

Join in the celebration by making a donation to First Book! And stay tuned for an upcoming post to find out how Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo and other stars from the film are joining with Fox Searchlight and Sue Bee Honey to celebrate the film’s release.

LOOK FOR THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES IN THEATRES OCTOBER 17!

Do you remember your “sweet sixteen”? The gifts, the cake, the visit to the DMV with nervous parents, the co-ed parties…

Today First Book celebrates our 16th Birthday, and the distribution of our 60 millionth book! The day has been much calmer than Samantha Baker’s adventures in Sixteen Candles and thankfully, there was no test of the proper stopping distance for railroad tracks, but we did take a little time out to celebrate and look towards our future.

Thank you to everyone who has helped First Book reach this wonderful milestone. May the next year and 10 million books be just as sweet!

“Have you been half asleep?
And have you heard voices?
I’ve heard them calling my name.
Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?
The voice might be one and the same
I’ve heard it too many times to ignore it
It’s something that I’m s’posed to be…
Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers, and me.”
- Kermit the Frog

Although I’m not quite as eloquent as my small green hero quoted above, I wanted to take a minute today to tell you that I, too, have heard a voice calling my name. I am concluding my tenure of nearly four years at First Book to pursue a Master’s Degree in Public Administration in Syracuse, New York.

There is something about seeing unbridled inspiration on a daily basis - in First Book Recipient Groups, volunteers, corporate heroes and education advocates - that has inspired me to choose to pursue a graduate degree in a field where I can continue my passion for changing the world.

From Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York, to Keene, Bernice and Norwalk - and, quite literally, everywhere in between - I have had the pleasure and joy of working at book distributions, celebrating preschool graduations, speaking at conferences, visiting food banks, enjoying meals with volunteers, attending First Book Advisory Board meetings, giving books to kids and truly enjoying the inspiration of compassionate heroes at every juncture!

So to all of you I say, thank you. Until soon!

It was a week before I was set to leave for DC that I finally learned of my internship placement at First Book. I had never heard of First Book before but maintained the belief that everything would work out…it did.

Placed in the communication department to coincide with my major, I was pleasantly surprised when I was given several substantive projects and assignments to work on instead of tedious busy work. There have been several occasions where I have applied lessons and skills from college to the project I was working on. Working closely with other First Book staff members, I spend my days putting together spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, doing online research, sending out dozens of e-mails and attending book distribution events.

Yesterday marked the half way point of my time here in DC and I cannot believe how fast the time has gone by! It should really be no surprise though, considering how much fun I am having. It really helps that First Book is composed of the friendliest staff in DC, which makes coming to work a pleasure. Everyone here is dedicated to getting books to kids and it is truly an amazing feeling knowing you are apart of this wonderful cause.

I cannot recommend First Book enough. They have helped me develop so many skills and gain tons of insights and experiences that I will be able to apply in my future career. This is the perfect place for anyone interested in public policy or just looking for a rewarding experience and I cannot thank the First Book staff enough for making me feel apart of the family.

Think you know all there is to know about First Book and read our blog regularly? If your answer is yes, then get excited - we have a contest for you!

First Book is excited to announce our first of several blog contests that we will host throughout the year.

Here’s how it works: find the correct answers to the questions on the First Book Blog and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a special prize. This month’s winner will receive their choice of a First Book t-shirt or a READ tote bag.

The rules are as follows:
- You must email the answers to the following 3 questions to [email protected].
- The winner will be selected at random from among all the correct entries and will be given the prize and featured on the Blog. By submitting your answer, you give First Book permission to contact you via email and highlight your name on our Web site, if you are selected as the winner.
- Deadline for entries is: Friday, February 22nd at 9 a.m.
- The winner will be announced no later than Monday, February 25th.

Ready? On your mark, get set, go! Good luck!

Contest questions

1. What First Book partner sponsors National Literacy Action Week?
2. What special edition book sold out on the First Book Marketplace?
3. How did the winner of the Cheerios Spoonful of Stories Contest come up with her book idea?

Tags: contest

Tomorrow I am leaving my job here at First Book, as well as my wonderful Advisory Board volunteers in the states of WA, ND, SD, GA and KY, to pursue a teaching career.  Since I started working at First Book a few months before the blog was born, I thought I would take a moment to look back at some of my favorite posts.

My first trip with First Book took me to Idaho where I had the opportunity to help with a First Book National Book Bank distribution and host a volunteer training session with staff member Elizabeth Matthews who would eventually help create First Book University.  Read all about the trip here.

Book Expo America came to DC in 2006, which meant our entire staff had the opportunity to take part in the festivities!  One crafty staff member set up a time lapse video camera over our booth, which I think captures the events’ bustle perfectly!

In September 2006, I had the pleasure of visiting the incredibly friendly and hospitable people of North Dakota… where we still do NOT have an Advisory Board… but that doesn’t mean I don’t have hope that a few spectacular volunteers will step up.  You can read all about my time in North Dakota to discover why it’s certainly more than just a “flyover state”.

This next one has a photo that I find really captures the whimsy of First Book’s staff members.  President Kyle Zimmer’s face is priceless in this photo!

Finally, the end of First Book’s “What Book Got YOU Hooked?” campaign meant that we got to see the top fifty favorite titles from people all around the nation and even the world!  My favorite, A Wrinkle In Time, took 25th place! Not too shabby!  Read about it here in case you missed it.

I have many more favorites, but I think I’ll stop at five.  Thank you all so much for taking this trip down memory lane with me via the First Book Blog!  My two years at First Book have been magical, but as I leave I look forward to continuing my support of this wonderful organization… and I hope you will continue to support it too… whether it’s with dollars, your own hands at a First Book National Book Bank distribution, or just by passing on an interesting blog post to your friends.  Take care!

Where can you find a sailor, the god of thunder, Mrs. Brady dressed for the town, and a contestant on the Price is Right?  At First Book’s annual Halloween outing to Ben’s Chili Bowl, of course!  In its third year, First Book staff showed off their creativity with their costume-clad outing to the historic DC landmark.  Among piles of chili cheese fries, First Book showed how eclectic, fun, and spirited the team that gives books to kids is.  The real question is, “what to be next year?”

As a freshman at American University, I was given the opportunity to have an internship fall semester. Out of the 10+ businesses and organizations I met with, I chose First Book. Waking up at 7am each Wednesday and Thursday is not easy for a college student, but working with First Book makes it worthwhile.

Working with the corporate team, I do online research on companies, enter data in spreadsheets, call groups who receive books, sit in on some meetings, and send lots of emails. My favorite aspects of working here at First book include working as part of the Viral Team in our web-based initiatives such as Facebook and MySpace, and interacting with the corporate team in outreach and research.

I have gained many new skills, abilities, and insights about nonprofit organizations, and how important the impact is today in society. At the end of the day, through all of our efforts, it is nice to realize that what First Book really does is give books to kids in need.

The internship is challenging and fun, and a great experience! I definitely recommend a First Book internship to anyone interested in a rewarding experience, while knowing you are giving back to the community. Thanks to all the First Book staff who have helped me along the way: Melinda, Mary Beth, Katie, Rachel, Diane, Wendy, and Dan.

Today marks a sad day for the First Book Blog!  Clarissa is leaving First Book, and with it takes a vast amount of technical support and leadership that has built the site this last year and a half.

For many of the contributors to this site, this was our first experience with the blog world and Clarissa took it in stride.  She patiently explained to me and many of the staff how to write posts, comment appropriately, and about the community of blogging.  She would edit ramblings from the road into stories to share, and was stellar at thinking of new ideas for us to write about.

Clarissa is leaving First Book, no doubt to do amazing work for other great causes, but we hope she’ll keep in touch and continue to read the First Book Blog!   We wish her the very best!

Sunday, April 22 - Tonya and I have arrived safely into Spokane, WA, after stops in the Twin Cities and Seattle. I always forget how big America is until I have to traverse it! As tedious as hours on a plane can be, the breathtaking view of Mount Rainier through the cloud cover as the sun set made the extra layover in Seattle somehow worthwhile.

This is my very first time in Washington State so I feel like I have to do something cliché like buy some apples. I resist the urge, and we gather our luggage. After two layovers we are pleased to find our bags made the journey with us, which wasn’t the case the last time Tonya and I traveled together.

We make quick work of getting our rental car, and head towards Couer D’Alene, Idaho. It is before 10pm when we pull into our hotel for the evening, but our “East Coast bodies” are ready for bed. Tomorrow promises to be a busy day of meetings and events, so we grab a cookie from the hotel clerk and say our good nights.

Air Miles: 2536
Road Miles: 37
Complimentary Bags of Airplane Trailmix: 3

Tags: Idaho

Starting this Sunday, my colleague Tonya and I will be on an outreach trip throughout the state of Idaho. We will be meeting with Advisory Boards, visiting Recipient Groups, and presenting at a Library Conference.

The itinerary is an action-packed 7-day journey from northwest to southeast Idaho, and promises to be full of adventures. We will be blogging throughout the trip, so join us here to get a sense of a week in the life of the Community Development team on the road!

Tags: Idaho

Last week we posted questions from the trivia contest we played at our Blogaversary Party. Did you find all the answers? Read on to see the questions and answers.

1. Which First Book Recipient Group is a bus?
Bess the Book Bus, Inc.

2. Who had blue hair for Halloween?
Stephanie and Diane, the First Book Fellows

3. Who won the Run, Pass and Click for Literacy Challenge?
First Book-North Central College

4. What children’s television “star” helped to hand out books to kids in Long Beach?
Donovan Patton, Joe from Nick Jr.’s Blue’s Clues

5. What author wore pajamas when she read a bedtime story to kids at Borders?
Laura Numeroff

6. What Sesame Street actor did First Bookers get to meet at BEA 2006?
Roscoe Orman, who played Gordon on Sesame Street

7. Whose dog refuses to read?
James

8. What did Chandler dress up as for Halloween in 1980?
Tigger

9. What color was Rachael’s childhood bedroom?
bright pink

10. What zoo animals like pop-up books?
golden lion tamarins

11. What did the strawberry say to the other strawberry?
If you weren’t so fresh, we wouldn’t be in this jam!

12. Which Rolling Stones musician played at a First Book event in Mississippi?
Chuck Leavell, Rolling Stones keyboardist

Tags: FirstBook, trivia

Kit arrives at her surprise party.

It was with mixed emotions that the First Book staff gathered for a surprise farewell luncheon for our dear colleague, Kit Lunney. After four years at First Book, there was much to celebrate and reminisce over, through laughter and a few tears.

Kit has been instrumental in so many aspects of First Book’s work, but over the last two years, she has been the backbone of the Book Relief initiative — helping to lead the organization in our commitment to place 5 million new books back into the Gulf Coast region in the wake of the 2005 hurricanes.

Kit is awarded the Key to the City by the mayor of Lake Charles, Louisiana

Having made more than a dozen trips to the Gulf Coast during the last 18 months, the Gulf Coast has become almost a second home for Kit. From meeting with volunteers, to engaging with Recipient Groups, to forging new partnerships and distributing thousands of books from warehouses across the region — every task has been handled with care, even down to the last detail.

But these dedicated efforts haven’t just been noticed by fellow staff — in December 2006, Kit was awarded the Key to the City by the mayor of Lake Charles, Louisiana. We were so proud and were thrilled to help Kit celebrate this honor.

Thank you, Kit, for your hard work, countless hours, and tireless commitment to First Book and Book Relief over the last several years. You truly are an inspiration to us and we don’t know what we’ll do without you. Our love and best wishes go with you as you embark on your next adventures!

Tags: KitLunney, FirstBook

At First Book we never miss an opportunity to have cake. Our HR director recently joked that he was going to add cake to our benefits list as an enticement for new employees. So when we began planning the celebrations for the 1st anniversary of our blog, of course we included a party with cake.

We recreated the fun of the children’s birthday parties from our youth complete with party hats, favors, and games. One colleague exclaimed, “This is the best blog party I’ve ever attended!”

Bloggers came to the party with completed answers to our First Book Blog trivia contest. We hope you have as much fun finding the answers as we did!

All of the answers can be found in past blog entries (hint: use the Search box in the right column). We’ll post the correct answers next week.

1. Which First Book Recipient Group is a bus?

2. Who had blue hair for Halloween?

3. Who won the Run, Pass and Click for Literacy Challenge?

4. What children’s television “star” helped to hand out books to kids in Long Beach?

5. What author wore pajamas when she read a bedtime story to kids at Borders?

6. What Sesame Street actor did First Bookers get to meet at BEA 2006?

7. Whose dog refuses to read?

8. What did Chandler dress up as for Halloween in 1980?

9. What color was Rachael’s childhood bedroom?

10. What zoo animals like pop-up books?

11. What did the strawberry say to the other strawberry?

12. Which Rolling Stones musician played at a First Book event in Mississippi?

Tags: FirstBook, blogging, blog

“Blog readers beware: What happens in Bernice, no longer stays in Bernice…,.” wrote First Book staffer Rachael V. one fateful afternoon in March 2006.

On one level, it began a playful (and thorough) chronicle of one of our many book distributions. In a bigger sense, though, Rachael’s post marked First Book’s daring launch into the unknown — a.k.a. The Blogosphere.

In typical First Book fashion, we didn’t just dangle our feet in the water. No, we dove in head first. Subsequent posts ranged in topic from staff outings to articles on literacy, from announcements of exciting new partnerships to a how-to (or how-not-to) on cooking green eggs and ham. These days, when anything interesting happens, our first thought is to post it to the blog in order to share it with you, dear friends and readers.

This is all to say that the blog has come to occupy a special place in our hearts here at First Book, signifying yet another exciting step in our growth and expansion into ever-widening new territory. I hope you’ll join us this week in celebrating this special milestone by donating to First Book in honor of the blog. As with all we do, we could never have gotten here without your support. Thanks!

Tags: FirstBook, blogging, Blogosphere,

A few months ago, Clarissa showed First Book blog readers how to create a clock out of their favorite books. I am always looking for great gift ideas that are unique, creative, and inexpensive so I thought I would try making one for First Book’s conference room to commemorate the Cat in the Hat’s 50^th Anniversary. Read on to see pictures of my clock-making project.

Since I was home for a visit (and I make my dad nervous when I use his power tools), he helped me drill the book in the center and prep the clock assembly ahead of time. You can use a hand drill, but we found a simple power drill the easiest. Drill gently so as not to rip the cover art.

Once you have the appropriate size hole, simply follow the directions on the clock assembly kit. We learned the hard way not to skip reading the instructions since the kit we used had different optional pieces depending on the project.

The numbers were stick on numerals available at your local craft store. If you don’t like the colors available, you can easily spray-paint them as you wish. After you have aligned them in their proper order (use a protractor for accuracy), simply press down to secure.

After inserting a fresh double-A battery and setting the time, the project was complete and ready for display!

Tags: CatInTheHat, Clock

Sports fans everywhere sit on the edge of their seats today as the opening round of the NCAA March Madness Tournament tips off. We have our dancing shoes on and we’re ready for the big dance to begin!

As I was filling in my brackets for the ESPN Tournament Challenge, I was thrilled to see how many teams were from schools where we have First Book Campus Advisory Boards (CABs). I must admit it influenced my choices and I’m proud to say I have 2 CAB teams going to the final four!

Best of luck to all of our CAB teams and I hope all of your dance cards are full!

Jackson State; Maryland; Davidson; Notre Dame; Pittsburgh; Marquette; New Mexico State; Georgetown; Ohio State; Pennsylvania

If you’d like more information about starting a First Book Campus Advisory Board on your campus, please contact us at [email protected]

Tags: MarchMadness, NCAA

In the First Book world, today was Lynda Lancaster Day!

It was with much excitement that the First Book staff celebrated the 10 year anniversary of Lynda Lancaster’s work with First Book. For the past decade Lynda has worked selflessly to connect First Book with nonprofit partners across the nation, coordinate book distributions, start Advisory Boards and a list of so many other miscellaneous undertakings!

The staff celebrated Lynda at a breakfast and spent hours telling stories and reminiscing of fun, exciting and even trying adventures over the past ten years. There was much laughter, applause, a few tears and the occasional shriek of delight!

Thank you Lynda, for all of your dedication to First Book, and most importantly to the millions of children to whom you have single-handedly provided with brand new books!

Three cheers for Lynda!!

Tags: LyndaLancaster, FirstBook