The response to last year’s Holiday Book Drive for Chicago kids simply blew me away. Thanks to your incredible generosity, we delivered more than 400 books to young scholars served by Leading with Literacy, a read-aloud program in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood.
Authors… Publishers… Family… Friends…
Day after day, you sent book after book. (Click HERE for a complete round-up of your amazing donations.) Our family room literally burst with boxes. My mid-December, it was hard to find our Christmas tree…
Words cannot express the joy you brought last year. Delivery Day 2017 is a day I’ll never forget. The smiles…
The laughs...
The love…
That’s why I’m over-the-moon-thrilled to share that the date’s been set for the 2018 (second annual) delivery day: Dec. 12. Yep, mark your calendar for 12/12! That’s when I’ll join Pastor Michael Neal, founder of Leading with Literacy, and my dear friend Chaz Baechler in visiting schools to connect children on Chicago’s South Side with books from YOU.
Now it’s time to get this year’s collection started! Here’s how you can help…
Books, Please! We are excited to receive any book for children. We do ask that the books are new, not used. (The sense of ownership that comes from receiving your own new book is priceless!) Last year, we focused on picture books. But this year, we’re ALSO happily accepting early readers, chapter books and middle grade… woohoo!
New Hashtag, Folks! Because we’re collecting books for a broader age range this year, we’re changing the Twitter hashtag to #HolidayBookDriveChi. If you want to see tweets from last year’s drive, search #HolidayPictureBookDrive. (There are quite a few…)
The Magic Number: Any donation is greatly appreciated - hard-back or paperback, it matters not! But in case you’re wondering: If you have the ability to join forces with a friend (or friends) and donate 30 copies of the same book, you’ll be able to give an entire classroom the SAME book, which is a truly amazing gift.
Pssst! Authors… If you think your publisher might be able to provide a complete classroom donation of 30 books, there will be crazy dances happening all over my house and jubilant cheers in a very lucky classroom in the city!
Shouting it Out! When your books arrive at my door, I go bananas - it makes me so happy. I celebrate all book donations as they are committed and as I receive them, on social media and on my website, too.
Party Time: If you are planning a local (or family) giving initiative this holiday season, consider asking others to pick out and donate a book for a Bronzeville scholar. If you’re interested in organizing something like this, let me know and we can chat logistics.
Title Ideas: I’m happy to share recommendations at any time, if you’re not sure which book or books to give. (Titles by Ezra Jack Keats are always loved by the kids served by Leading with Literacy.)
Or… If You’d Rather: Financial donations are most welcome, too. Whatever works best for you. All donations deliver joy!
Thanks to those of you who have (already!!!) reached out to ask how to help again this year. That gives me ALL the goose bumps. Can’t wait to see how we work together in Holiday 2018, to give the gift of literacy to even more Chicago scholars!
