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This weeks thank you is brought to you by a fan of Junie B. Jones:

On July 24th I was thrilled to launch the 3rd Annual Mortar Board Virtual Book Drive Challenge at the 2010 Mortar Board National Conference in Chicago. Mortar Board is a national honor society recognizing college seniors for their exemplary scholarship, leadership and service. For the 3rd consecutive year, Mortar Board chapters across the country will be raising funds for the purchase of books by programs serving children in need in their communities.

In addition to launching the Virtual Book Drive during the “Reading is Leading” luncheon, I had the honor of presenting Mortar Board with a First Book Hero Award for their ongoing support and commitment to literacy, distributing more than 26,000 books  to kids in need across the country.  The Hope College chapter was also honored for their leadership and competitive spirit for being the top fundraising chapter for the last two years.

I’m excited to work with Mortar Board again this year to build on their past success and distribute even more books to the children who need them most! Support your local Mortar Board chapter today by making a donation at www.firstbook.org/mortarboard.

This Month’s Recipient Group:

Families Learning At School and Home (FLASH) Program at Owens Primary School. The program’s mission is to engaged parents in learning along with their child to build literacy in the home. Since the programs inception in 2003, hundreds of parents have attended a 20-minute workshop each month with their kindergartner to review letter names, sounds, literacy skills, vocabulary, poems and stories that students will be focusing on in the classroom. This program provides take home kits, book/CD sets, videos, DVDs and learning games to families for home use. Throughout the project years, parental attendance at monthly class meetings continues to average 90%.

How long have you been a First Book Recipient Group?

Since 2005

How many children do you serve and what are their age ranges?

Approximately 150 kindergarteners, ages 4 and 5

How many books have you received from First Book since you registered?

Over 1,000 new books!

Tell us about a recent event you have held to promote reading.

First Book partnered with the Bakersfield dd’s DISCOUNTS customers to provide 150 kindergarteners with 6 books each. Manager Grace Prendez of the Bakersfield store, the guest reader for Mrs. Victor’s kindergarten class, read two books to her captive audience and promised that a big truck was bringing them an extra surprise later that morning: stuffed dinosaurs of the dd’s DISCOUNTS mascot Dino!

Quotes from students, teachers, parents:

“This award from dd’s DISCOUNTS and First Book provides our families with books to treasure, read and keep at home. We know that our students need books and yearn for books to own, not just to borrow”.

“Teachers and families are very grateful for this opportunity to own books. They look forward to inviting guest readers to read and distribute the books to our young students throughout the rest of the school year.” – Mrs. Joyce Victor, Kindergarten Teacher

As First Book nears the end of our two-year U.S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Education grant, Andrea and I hit the road again last week  to continue to spread the magic of books throughout Maine.

After landing in Portland and having a marvelous lobster roll lunch, we set our sights on Augusta to host a Volunteer Orientation session to introduce new volunteers to our First Book-Kennebec County Advisory Board.  We saw some old friends at the Buker Community Center and met some new ones too!  In addition to strengthening our Board in Kennebec County, we’re looking forward to working with Rob Gordon of the United Way of Kennebec Valley and Troy Alexander of Augusta Schools to bring more books to the children of Augusta!

The next morning we had a beautiful drive, despite some rain, over to Bucksport.  Being particularly fond of small towns, I really enjoyed passing through the many coastal towns along the way.  In Bucksport, we met in the Town Council office with our good friend Marcelle and some others who are working to start a First Book Advisory Board.  We had a great discussion about the importance of books and reading and how First Book is a great resource for their community.  It’s clear they take their town motto Rich in Heritage, Looking to the Future to heart.

After a quick stop at the Bittersweet Gift Shop for some yummy treats for us and some Lupine flower seeds to send to my mom, we were back on the road heading north to Houlton.  In Houlton, we had the pleasure of meeting with our dear friend Otis and the First Book-Aroostook County Advisory Board. We heard a wonderful presentation about how Houlton Elementary School is incorporating books from First Book into their family literacy festivals.  At the end of our meeting, we presented First Book-Aroostook County with a small token of thanks for over 10 years of serving children in need in Maine.  Otis then  presented us with The Boy with the Leaking Boot t-shirts which we will wear with fond memories of another great trip to Maine!

Bess the Book Bus is officially at the halfway point of her nationwide outreach. We find ourselves in beautiful Portland, Oregon preparing for tomorrow’s outreach in Albany. It has been an eventful couple of weeks that have brought us through the Navajo Nation where we were able to give books to the kids at Montezuma Creek and Bluff Elementary Schools.  Our travels also brought us through Utah and Nevada and into the Sacramento Valley of California. We have given away 10,600 books so far and could not be more grateful for overwhelmingly positive response from the communities we are visiting.

In each area, as in previous communities, individuals have stepped up to make this outreach a success.  The garage we stopped at in Utah refused to charge us for our tire rotation, insisting we spend the money on books instead. Several hotels have given us deep discounts to help offset expenses. Many of the people hosting our events have also provided us with meals and a place to sleep. All of this kindness equates to the most important thing- more books in the hands of our kids.

For every dollar we save we can provide up to three new books from the First National Book Book Bank.  In Reno,  Zoe Miller and our friends at Grassroots Books gave away two books for every one book we gave away from the book bus. They also loaded us with hundreds of brand new books for middle readers when they heard we were running low and may not have enough books by the time we arrived in Detroit.  The event at Grassroots Books was an energized book bonanza with face painting, games, a bounce house, and Bess the Book Bus. The kids had a blast. They each got five books to take home.  I think the parents had just as much fun.  Several parents came back by to tell us how much their kids loved the books and Bess. In these challenging times it is important to remember that families can have fun enriching experiences for little to no cost. As business owners and community members, it is important for each of us to consider what we can do to be a part of the solution.

Memorial Day weekend brought us to the beautiful Sutter Buttes where a friend we met on Facebook hosted us at her families almond farm. Janet is a counselor for special needs kids at Hiram Johnson High in Sacramento. She found us through our author friend Sabine Goldman who arranged and hosted our trip in Mesa, Arizona.  We all spent the weekend sharing stories about the kids we work with and planning ways we could collaborate in the future to get more books into their homes, including a literacy outreach aspect for their Teen Parenting Program. It was a fantastic few days that made us all more committed than ever to our programs and gave us some great ideas for combining our efforts.  Janet took several hundred books back for her kids. Our friend Seena Hawley also met us out there. She is a bus driver in the Berkeley area who gives her kids books to take home through Bess’ Page Pals program. We have been mailing books to her for the last year, but finally had the chance to meet her. She is another true inspiration. She also took several hundred books to bring to the kids in her summer programs. I hope we can meet the kids next year.

Reading is alive and well and individuals all over the country are pitching in to share their love of books.  From kids who want to share the story of their favorite books and authors to the adults and businesses that are making this summer’s outreach so successful, we are seeing proof everywhere.

Not wanting to compete with Oprah and Gail’s 11 day, 3,600 mile trip across the country, we kept it simple!  We hit the road, for a 3 day, 900 mile trip through the Mountain State of West Virginia!  Our primary goal was to the spread the magic of books throughout the state by visiting with new and old friends in four dynamic cities! 

• Bluefield -WV’s most elevated city-2655 feet above sea level!
• Beckley-the home of Tamarack and the Exhibition Coal Mine!
• Charleston-the illustrious state capitol!
• Parkersburg-the savings bond capital of America! (Every U.S. Savings Bond bought or redeemed has passed through the U.S. Treasury Department’s Bureau of Public Debt in Parkersburg since 1957.)

With a road trip, you must share the factoids you learned along the way. 

O.K., back to books…

Day 1, we connected with our existing Advisory Boards to host a training for Mercer and McDowell Counties and newly formed First Book-Tazewell County, VA (WV’s neighbor to the South).  Day 2, we traveled I-77N to host a Meet and Greet with new friends in Beckley to share with them the resources First Book could bring to their community.  And on Day 3, we held two “Starting Your Advisory Board” training sessions in Charleston and Parkersburg for the birth of two new Advisory Boards in West Virginia!

There are many Wild and Wonderful things happening in West Virginia! Most importantly, First Book is in the final year of a two-year U.S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Education to provide new books to children in need throughout the state of West Virginia.  As a generous part of the grant, First book is able to offer some special opportunities for programs in WV serving children in need to register with First Book to experience the magic.  For more information about the grant and for updates on incentive opportunities, please see www.firstbook.org/doewestvirginia.

We’d like to give huge kudos to the Children’s Home Society of West Virginia staff for making our trip a success-Kathrn K, Jarrod M, Scott F and S. Tuck, and a big thank you to Francis from Mary’s Cradle, Michelle with United Way of the Virginias and Daniel at the Dian-Lee House in Bluefield!

Guest blogger Linda Sue Park is the author of A Single Shard (Newbery Medal winner), Kite Fighters and her latest book, Keeping Score . In addition, Linda Sue has published several other novels, as well as picture books, poems and short stories. Linda Sue recently visited a First Book school and kindly agreed to share her impressions.

I recently visited a Title I school in Washington state to share some of my books with students there. I met with 83 fifth-grade students in the library.  It was clear to me from the moment I arrived that the students and the staff took pride in their school and were eager to welcome me.

The librarians and teachers had done some wonderful preparation before I arrived and the kids were already familiar with my picture book THE FIREKEEPER’S SON. I talked to them about my own family background; my love of reading; my early efforts at writing; and of course showed them photos of my dog. Then I booktalked a few of my titles, including KITE FIGHTERS, and finished up by talking about revision and rewriting, rejection, and the importance of reading. After that we had a few minutes of Q&A.

The kids were terrific. I didn’t see a single one of them wiggling or acting distracted–it felt like all their eyes were on me every minute. It is a K-8 school, and several eighth-graders were studying in the library at the time; I was tickled to see that by about halfway through, they had all abandoned their carrels and were standing at the back listening to my presentation!

At the very end I talked about First Book, and when I advised the assembled group that individual classrooms could register in addition to the school as a whole, I was encouraged to see the teachers and librarians in the room scribbling down the web address.  I then brought out boxes of books and told the kids I had made arrangements with First Book to provide each child with a copy of KITE FIGHTERS. I wish you could have heard the squeals in the room! Then I told them that I had already autographed the books for them and got a second chorus of squeals. We did a round of applause for First Book, then we handed out the books as the kids left the library.  The best part was that as the students went down the hall, most of them already had the book open, reading as they walked!

I hope everyone involved with a school or program serving children from low-income families will visit www.firstbook.org/register to connect  with your great organization!

Here at First Book, we understand how busy life can be for our Recipient Groups.  We also know that at the end of the day, when that bell finally rings and all those precious little ones pile onto the buses and head home, the last thing most teachers, principals or administrators need to deal with is trouble placing an order on the First Book Marketplace or confusion about completing a Book Bank application.

To make sure our Recipient Groups can get books from us as quickly and effortlessly as possible, we present to you . . . drum roll please . . . First Book’s very own Online Help Center! So if you have ever wondered: “What is the First Book National Book Bank?”  “How do I place an order on the First Book Marketplace for the first time?” Or “how do I update my registration?” then look no further!  The answers to all these questions (and many more) await you at First Book’s Online Help Center!

Of course we are always here to answer questions from Recipient Groups. But, since we can’t be in the office 24/7, we hope that our Help Center will make getting books from us as easy as possible.  So now, when that bell rings at the end of the day, all those little ones can pile onto their buses with backpacks full of books and minds ready to dive into the wonderful world of reading.

Dr. Lori Shorr Gives Books to Children

The City of Philadelphia, building on President Barack Obama’s call for Americans to  volunteer and help their fellow citizens, recently commemorated the first September 11 National Day of Remembrance and Service.

Their local effort, PhillyServes, included a volunteer fair in the City Hall Courtyard with over 85 nonprofit organizations represented that offered information to all Philadelphians in an effort to encourage them to volunteer their time to support important efforts in the City.

Volunteers from local organizations were also on hand to help distribute 5,680 children’s books and bookmarks with the new PhillyServes logo.  The goal of the giveaway was to promote reading and boost child literacy by giving parents more books at home to read to their kids.   First Book, Townsend Press and the American Reading Company, all participated by generously donating new books for the giveaway.

Despite the rain, the Day of Service was a tremendous success.  The PhillyServes initiative will continue year-round with additional events planned helping to make Philadelphia a true city of service.

A lot of our success at First Book is dependent on the great people that we are able to connect to whether it is a nonprofit leader, educator, foundation or strategic partner.  I’m fortunate enough to spend most of my day connecting to great nonprofits, school systems and more.  These partnerships are vital in our quest to one day provide every child in the country with brand new books.

I recently connected with Shereen Williams, the Director of Community Partnerships for DC Public Schools.   With her help we are connecting all 102 Title I schools in metro DC to First Book’s systems and resources.  In addition to getting the schools registered thirty four schools will be given an initial credit on the First Book Marketplace thanks to Comcast’s $12,000 donation to help provide more books to kids in DC.

To celebrate this great partnership I attended an event at Eliot Hines Middle School near RFK stadium with First Book’s EVP, Chandler Arnold.  We both love events that allow us to meet some of the kids that the books go to and shake the hands of the great leaders that are working on behalf of the kids to find resources like First Book.  It was a great event with top executives from Comcast, Chancellor Michelle Rhee and leaders from Eliot Hines MS.

Besides the smiling faces of the kids that got to select two books a piece at the end of the program I got to meet the great new librarian at the school. As she thanked all of us, she got a little choked up and so did I.  The fact that she is soon going to be able to fill the shelves in the library with thousands of more books seemed like an impossible task just a few months ago, but thanks to DCPS, First Book and Comcast coming together, the kids will soon be able to check out more than one book at a time.

Thanks for all that you do teachers, librarians, principals, corporate executives and other local leaders.  When we all come together it allows First Book to move our mission forward and place more books into the hands of kids in need.

FB staff take an ice cream break

A fabulous thing happened on the way to Romeoville…

Last month, I got a ride from Chicago to our First Book National Book Bank distribution in Romeoville, Illinois from my friend, Jason Wells, who is the publicity director at Abrams Books for Young Readers.  On the way, Jason mentioned that to promote the upcoming Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days book, Abrams was doing an ice cream truck tour.  By the time we arrived at the distribution, we had an idea.  Wouldn’t it be fun if the truck could make a special visit to a First Book recipient group and Abrams could provide brand new books for all the kids, as well as free ice cream?

In typical First Book fashion, Outreach Director Mitali Chakraborty worked her magic with our partners and everyone at First Book jumped on board to help.  On Thursday, August 20, approximately twenty First Book staffers arrived at the YMCA’s Anthony Bowen chapter here in Washington, DC.  Summer camp director Imani Bell and the YMCA staff introduced us to the kids:  the Jaguars (ages 5-7), the Pythons (8-9) and the Icons (10 and up).  The First Book staff members then broke up into small groups to read aloud with the younger kids and discuss books with the older ones.

Mitali, Imani and me

When we brought out the boxes of new books, the kids’ eyes lit up.  They were so excited that they could each have their own books to keep!  I was particularly impressed with the extent to which the Jaguars engaged with the illustrations in the book we read together.  The First Book staff members were taking turns reading aloud when a little girl jumped in to take her turn (hey, why should the grown ups have all the read-aloud fun?) and carried the show for several pages, sounding out some challenging words like a champ.

Just then, the bright yellow Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days ice cream truck arrived, ready to serve up free frozen treats for all (my popsicle – okay, I had two – was excellent)!  And, boy, was it a perfect ice cream day: sunny and hot!  This event turned out to be the perfect way for the First Book staff to beat the heat and celebrate summer reading with some terrific kids in our own hometown.  It’s hard to say who had more fun (or who ate more popsicles) – the kids or us!

Thanks again to Abrams Books for Young Readers and Jason Wells for the inspiration!

Thanks to the support of U.S. Senator Susan Collins (Maine) and U.S. Senator Robert Byrd (West Virginia), First Book received grants from the U.S. Department of Education, Fund for the Improvement of Education to provide new books to children in need throughout the states of Maine and West Virginia.

As a generous part of the grants, First Book is pleased to offer the following opportunities to all eligible Recipient Groups in Maine and West Virginia:

• Through September 30, 2009, all groups in Maine and West Virginia that complete a purchase from the First Book Marketplace will receive a matching Marketplace store credit to be used towards a subsequent purchase. Up to $500 in a matching store credit will be issued at the end of the promotion period and must be spent by November 20, 2009.
• While grant funds are available, all Recipient Groups in Maine and West Virginia that opt to have books shipped to them from a First Book National Book Bank distribution will not be charged the normal $0.35 per book shipping fee as the shipping cost will be paid for by the Department of Education Grant.

For more information about the grants and for updates on incentive opportunities, please see www.firstbook.org/maine and www.firstbook.org/doewestvirginia.

Guest Blogger Susan Lawton is the Director of Children & Youth Initiatives at the United Way of Tampa Bay, a First Book Recipient Group.

In 2006 United Way of Tampa Bay chose a children’s book drive to call attention to the issue of early literacy in our community. Since that time we have collected nearly 300,000 books. The best of the books are given to children to take home because we know the number of children’s books in a home is often an indication of the levels of poverty, health literacy, and education in that household. These factors affect whether or not children and youth achieve their potential, our ultimate goal.

For the last 3 years we have been fortunate to have a Magical Wizard of Book Doubling. Our corporate partner, Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR), has offered to match all donations made during the first week of the drive to a maximum of $10,000. Their sponsorship is critical to the success to our virtual book drive because it builds excitement and even competition between teams and workplaces.

United Way of Tampa Bay’s partnership with First Book allows us to utilize the most efficient and cost effective methods to get quality books to these children in a way that engages our workplace donors. Each year the First Book team works with me to utilize new ways to invite greater participation. In 2008 alone, we distributed new books worth over $110,000. That’s a return on investment of over 600% for our donors.

Learn more about how you can participate and help United Way of Tampa Bay reach their goal.

I had the pleasure to travel to Southern California last week as part of the First Book team managing our Inland Empire distribution.  It was two and a half days of Hollywood glitz, glamour, sunshine… and distributing 250,000 children’s books donated by Disney Publishing to many fantastic organizations in the greater Los Angeles area as well as groups around the country.

Among the celebrity “sightings” were Dr. Martha, Kellie, and the rest of the Book Buddies team who came out to support the distribution, and show us around the town.  I was amazed to learn the story of how a family business of local health clinics came to establish Book Buddies, part of the Molina Foundation, a national network that builds libraries and puts books directly into the hands of children from low-income families.

Special thanks also to Lorraine, Carrie, Ozzy, and the rest of the staff of the United Way of Inland Empire, who hosted us in their warehouse, recruited overwhelming volunteer support (don’t we look great in our “Live United” shirts?), and somehow arranged perfect weather as we as we loaded up vehicles of recipient groups with their brand new books.

The week of May 11, 2009 marked the Gregory, Michigan First Book National Book Bank distribution. Thanks so much to the wonderful people from Michigan Friends of Education who filled the shoes of being our storage and distribution partner on the ground in Gregory. They provided us much needed help and great company during our stay!

The Native American themed stories distributed this week were a good fit for Michigan in consideration of the Native population and history there. The books also resonate with kids (and any readers) of all backgrounds with beautiful illustrations and notions of the wisdom of traditional ways. Developed by the Native Diabetes Wellness Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention at the Indian Health Service, the titles carry messages of staying healthy and illness prevention.

As a new team member with First Book, this was the first full distribution that I was able to be a part of. How exciting to see first hand the true extent of a distribution, from the large amount of books designated, to the opportunity to meet the people who receive and use them. From each recipient I was better able to comprehend the ultimate reason for all of the work we do. Learning about each program, community and group of kids really makes an impression on how explicitly the books that come through our organization affect the lives of others. I had a great time!

First Book recently secured a two-year U.S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Education grant to provide new books to children in need throughout Maine.  With the grant, First Book is strengthening its volunteer Advisory Board network and connecting with Recipient Groups to distribute a minimum of 100,000 new books.

Last week we held a fun Meet and Greet event in the “Dress-up Theatre” at the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine in Portland to kick-off our efforts.  We met several local heroes who wanted to learn more about how they could become part of First Book’s growing network of recipient programs, sponsors and volunteers.  It was a quick trip but we did see a few lighthouses, ate some wonderful seafood, and can’t wait to return!

For more information about how you can help us spread the magic of books in Maine, please go to www.firstbook.org/maine.

Last week, First Book successfully distributed over 300,000 books to low income communities from our Baltimore, MD 2009 distribution!  Over 190 organizations from Baltimore and across the country received books to give to the children they serve.  We would especially like to thank the US Coast Guard for hosting the distribution, and making it as seamless as possible.

One of the coolest parts of my job is getting to meet the educators and program administrators when they come to pick up books from a distribution.   I am always amazed by the efforts they make to help their children, and it’s clear that the shortage of age appropriate books in their communities is challenging for them as well as for children and families.  What a wonderful feeling it is to see these local heroes drive away with a carload or truckload of free books to distribute to the children they serve!

Thank you again to everyone who made this distribution possible — we’ll see you again soon!

First Book was treated to southern hospitality last week when we traveled to Milton, Florida, just outside of Pensacola, for a reading party at East Milton Elementary School. This wonderful event kicked off the distribution of 40,000 books to children in need nationwide thanks to First Book supporter, Tata, and their local business group, Tata Business Support Services (TBSS). Tata provided over 1,500 books to the students at East Milton, enough for each child in the school to take two books home and begin building their own home libraries!

Thirty students participated in one-on-one reading sessions with TBSS employees and local dignitaries. The children were mesmerized by the volunteers who read Green Eggs and Ham and My Little Sister Ate One Hare.

The reading party included inspirational speeches from the principal of East Milton, David Johnson, and Santa Rosa County Superintendent, Tim Wyrosdick. David Good, Chief Representative of the Tata group North America, and M.N. Rao, CEO of TBSS (who traveled from India to participate), also regaled the group with personal stories about the importance of reading.

The students’ enthusiasm was palpable, as they all promised to take the books home to share with their families. One student, Imani Lewis, wore a big smile as she hugged her two new books, and declared “I like to read. I read a lot to my little cousin.”

Wondering where all the books go? Periodically we profile one of the many community programs that receive books from First Book for the children they serve. Special thanks to Ellie Tsetsi, Executive Director at Good Beginnings, for her help on this profile.

“One of my colleagues went on two home visits last week. In both cases, the homes were pretty bad in all the typical ways. The oven was open for heat in one, clothes hanging from the windows because the dryer was broken, a trailer filled with dogs, incredible amounts of junk and clutter, dirty dishes filled the sinks, trash overflowing, no sheets on the beds, etc. But in both homes, my eye lit on a bookcase filled with children’s books — I’d say over 25 books in each case — and all neatly stacked. Both parents talked about how much their children liked to read. In one, the home visitor videotaped the parent and child and the video consisted completely of the parent and child pointing to pictures in his books. Over ten minutes of video and no sign that the child — a very active two-year-old wanted to stop. It says something about the value of reading to children that our program has stressed–with results.

Without First Book and the donations we received, these children would not have access to quality children’s literature. The parents and children value the books, take care of the books, and most importantly, use the books. By encouraging reading activities between parents and children, Good Beginnings helps to strengthen the parent-child relationship and increase attachment between parents and children.“ - Ellie Tsetsi, Executive Director, Good Beginnings of Sullivan County, NH.

Good Beginnings is a primary prevention program offering comprehensive family support services to families living in southwestern New Hampshire. The mission of Good Beginnings is to promote the optimal health and development of New Hampshire children and families, serving over 1000 families and 1500 children annually. Good Beginnings provides services including home visits, parent education classes and support groups, case management, family literacy activities and resource and referral services.

Good Beginnings received approximately 2,200 books from the Food for the Body, Food for the Mind distribution thanks to First Book and corporate partner C&S Wholesale Grocers. This was their first direct distribution from First Book, although in previous years, Good Beginnings received 4,000 books, over the course of five years, from NH Public Television’s Ready to Learn Program, which is affiliated with First Book.

In 2008, First Book partnered with C&S Wholesale Grocers for the second year in a row. This time it was to bring the power of First Book to the community that C&S calls home – Keene, New Hampshire and the Monandock Region of Southwest NH. In addition to being the home of C&S headquarters, Keene is a small rural community about an hour northeast of Boston, and just a few minutes from where I was born. To say I was excited to effect change near where I grew up was as an understatement, and with the help of my colleague Nicole Thompson and the hard work of First Book’s Keene State College Campus Advisory Board, we set out over the course of eight months to share the magic of First Book with children in Southwest NH.

‘Food for the Body, Food for the Mind,’ as the initiative is called, has now brought 50,000 new age appropriate books to the area, many of which arrived at organizations and schools just in time for the holidays. Thank you notes from First Book Recipient Groups in Southwest New Hampshire have been pouring in ever since. Here are two that remind why I wake up every morning excited to go to work:

“I recently provided a 15 year old girl who was slipping in school and had been getting into some fights, with a First Book book. Several months ago when I found out that she was into the Dummies series relating to sports and coaching, I selected the book Open Court with her in mind. She came to me later, very excited, to tell me she finished it in just 2 days and wanted to tell me what it was about. She told me she later passed it along to friends who also enjoyed it. This single book has provided her with a positive and healthy way to interact with her peers. She has since received a couple of other books which she has begun to read as well. I hope to continue this relationship with First Book so that I may continue to provide more wonderful books to the youth that I serve.” – Lisa Wirth, Keene, NH Housing Authority Youth Services.

“We used our books from C&S and First Book to go along with our Holiday dinner boxes which contained everything a family needed for a holiday dinner at both of our sites in the Monadnock Region. Hundreds of local families had the gift of a new book to give to their children and grandchildren for Christmas (often from Santa). Without your kindness, many of these children wouldn’t have received a gift this holiday season — period. For 2009, we have a display of the remaining books, so new families can take a book for their child to nourish their mind as they receive vegetables and canned goods to feed their body.” - Mary Lou Huffling, Alstead, NH’s Fall Mt. Emergency Foodshelf.

Thank you C&S! First Book is proud to partner with C&S Wholesale grocers on our mission to end illiteracy, one book at a time.

In an effort to serve our Recipient Groups better the First Book Help Team is proud to unveil a brand new Web page for organizations serving children in need.

The Recipient Group Online Resource Center, found at http://www.firstbook.org/rg, is a gateway to all of First Book’s resources and literacy campaigns including links to register and update your information with First Book, purchase the latest award-winning books at 50-85% off list price on the First Book Marketplace, and access news about the first Book Bank distribution of 2009 (which will be announced via email to registered First Book Recipient Groups in the first quarter of 2009).

We hope the Recipient Group Online Resource Center makes it easier for you to help your kids be enthusiastic about reading in 2009!

This fun kid note came to us from a program that received Hooked on French kits from Hooked on Phonics. We agree- more books to children is a great thing in any language!

Wondering where all the books go? Periodically we profile one of the many community programs that receive books from First Book for the children they serve.

Recipient Group name and location: Baby Peaches was formed in December 2002 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Mission Statement: Baby Peaches Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing assistance to needy mothers. Being a parent is the single most important contribution one can make to the world.  Through education, community, and compassion, Baby Peaches, Inc. embraces new parents and new life.

What are the age ranges of the children you serve? We begin serving newborns on day one of life!

How do you use the books that you receive from First Book? We provide Peach Bags to needy families through social workers in area hospitals that have important items like parenting books and DVDs, handouts, baby care items, safety latches, plug covers, First Book board books, rattles, and much more. The bags are delivered to three different hospitals in the Atlanta metro area and given to social workers who determine which moms need the support.

How long has your program been a First Book Recipient Group? Three years.

How many books have you received from First Book? Over 5,000 new books! First Book has done so much for our organization’s mission. Thanks from ALL the children who benefit from your work.

Thanks to Tina Patrick of Baby Peaches for her help on this profile.

When our flight touched down in Appleton, Wisconsin, Kevin, Cris, Emily and I knew we had our work cut out for us. Over the next 48 hours, we had 480,000 books to label, sort and distribute to over 300 Recipient Groups. But on Wednesday morning, we woke up ready to hit the books. Literally.

The books were donated by Townsend Press, and were stored at RR Donnelley’s Book Fulfillment Services warehouse. The warehouse set us up with everything we needed, and we were off to the races. With the help of Advisory Board members from the nearby Green Bay chapter, as well as other volunteers, we successfully organized all of the orders to be shipped to and picked up by our Recipient Groups. That night we met with local community members to talk about the different ways to tap into First Book resources, at event made possible by the Fox Valley Advisory Board. Karen, the food was incredible!

On Thursday, all that was left to do was load up the vehicles for groups picking up books, and hope for a Brett Favre sighting (to no avail). Without a doubt, I’ll remember the warm hospitality of Appleton. A fantastic distribution all around!

On July 5th, I had the honor of visiting Tacoma, Washington to kick off summer reading with First Book and the United States Coast Guard’s Handshake Tour! As you may know, First Book is the signature charity of the Coast Guard and for the next few weeks First Book will be hosting private reading parties aboard the USCG Tall Ship Eagle to generate new books for children in need. How does it work? Everyone that tours the Eagle will be invited to shake hands with a Coastie on board - each handshake will provide a new book for a child in need.

Although the day started out rainy (I know surprise, surprise) the sun soon came out and we were greeted by a group of smiling 1st and 2nd grade children from the nearby Bordeaux School. The kids and adults alike were thrilled to tour the 295-foot vessel and each child walked away from the day with three beautiful new books!

This weekend First Book and the USCG are heading to San Francisco for the next stop of the tour – July 24 through July 28 - so if you’re in the Bay area, come down to tour the Eagle and help bring new books to children who need them! If you are not able to make it in person, you can still help by virtually shaking a Coastie’s hand at www.firstbook.org/uscg.