I was proud to represent First Book last week in Ann Arbor, MI, as we ushered in the holiday season with our generous partner Borders.  We celebrated the start of Borders’ holiday giving campaign for First Book at an event that featured Caroline Kennedy and a group of wonderful 11 year-olds from Detroit’s VIP Mentoring program.  

Caroline Kennedy shared readings and memories from her new compilation of Christmas stories and poems, A Family Christmas.  The children recited an e.e. cummings poem, and she told them about a letter to Santa that she had written as a little girl.  The kids asked whether she had gotten everything on her list. (She hadn’t, but it was a happy Christmas anyway.)  She presented each child with a copy of her book and personalized an inscription for each.  The kids were beaming and clutched the books like they were made of gold.  Borders CEO George Jones then handed a Borders gift card to each child, which they put to immediate use with a shopping spree for new books.  First Book also presented gift cards to the VIP Mentoring program so that other children in the program can enjoy new books, too.    
I was moved to hear Caroline Kennedy tell the children, ”when I was a little girl, my father was the President of the United States, and I got to live in the White House for a while.”  How poignant to realize that the iconic events that shaped our history and culture are also, very simply, the story of this one woman’s life.  One of the children asked if her father was still President, and she smiled and explained that that was a very long time ago.        

I have no doubt that this will be a night that these children remember for a very long time as well.