Posts tagged volunteers

First Book Celebrates AmeriCorps Week!

Mar14
2013 Leave a Comment Shannon Burke-Kranzberg Written by Shannon Burke-Kranzberg

First Book Celebrates AmeriCorps Week!This week, many of our partners and recipient groups are celebrating AmeriCorps Week to recognize the service of the AmeriCorps members working within their organizations to elevate the quality of education for the children they serve. Here at First Book, we’re proud to have some AmeriCorps alums on our staff and as volunteers working to help get more books out to the kids who need them most.

Charlette Kremer was an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving at Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC) in Lewiston, Idaho, in 2005. One of her first assignments was to establish a First Book College Advisory Board. Today, Charlette is the director of the Lewis-Clark Service Corps, which is the department where she served, and her staff now oversees First Book-LCSC, which provides books to four counties in Idaho and one in Washington. “Just last week, the Advisory Board met and awarded over $8,000 in books to nine organizations,” she said. “That brings our total to more than 48,000 books in just seven years. It’s a legacy for which I am very proud.”

First Book Celebrates AmeriCorps Week!Jonelle McCoy is a current AmeriCorps member serving in youth mentoring program at LCSC, but because of her experience working with students in the community struggling with literacy, she said she “jumped at the chance to volunteer” with First Book-LCSC. Her AmeriCorps service has given her the opportunity to work directly with students in the community struggling with literacy.

“It’s clear to me that the books we are giving to schools and agencies will make reading more accessible to hundreds of pre-K and elementary students in our local and satellite communities,” Jonelle said. “My hope is that one day soon there won’t be a need for my service, but until that day comes, volunteering with First Book remains a powerful way to impact and support early readers before they become the youth I see struggling in middle school.”

We’re proud to support AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service with access to new, high-quality books and educational resources for the kids they serve across the country!

Posted in Advisory Boards, Books & Reading, Education, First Book Partners, First Book Supporters, Literacy, Volunteers - Tagged , , , ,

Have You Thanked a Volunteer Today?

Apr16
2012 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

This week is National Volunteer Week … so be sure to take a moment to thank your friends and neighbors who volunteer their time and energy to improve the lives of the people in our communities.

First Book volunteers
First Book was founded twenty years ago on a volunteer model, and our national network of volunteers has grown ever since. Today, there are over 1,000 First Book volunteers in over 160 communities across the country, and we’re adding more all the time. First Book volunteers raise money to provide new books to local schools and programs serving kids from low-income families, and they help First Book’s national offices identify more schools and programs that need our help.

We’ve put a lot of new books into the hands of a lot of children in need in the last twenty years, and we couldn’t have done it without our volunteers. Thank you!

Click here to learn more about volunteering with First Book.

Posted in Advisory Boards, Books & Reading, Volunteers - Tagged , , , , ,

Wanted: West Virginia Volunteers

Oct24
2011 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

First Book has been working hard to get new books to West Virginia kids this year. We distributed over 300,000 books to children from low-income families, and we joined forces with the American Federation of Teachers to ensure that those kids have access to an ongoing supply of new books.

We’re ready to do even more to help kids, parents, teachers and program leaders in West Virginia, and we want you to join us. We’re looking for volunteers in West Virginia to join local First Book advisory boards and help get new books to children in their community.

If you’d like to join us, drop us a line. And please pass this along to anyone you know in West Virginia who might want to get involved.

Posted in Advisory Boards, Teachers, Volunteers - Tagged , , , , ,

Barclays Brings Books to Kids in Need

Jun16
2011 Rochee Jeffrey Written by Rochee Jeffrey

Today’s guest blog post is from Julia Falkenstern, a Strategic Alliances coordinator at First Book. Julia works with corporate partners like Barclays, KPMG and Pi Beta Phi to ensure that children from low-income families throughout the country have the opportunity to own new books.

At the end of May, First Book staff traveled across the country to join Barclays volunteers at Berkley Maynard Academy, a K-8 school in the Aspire Public Schools charter network, in Oakland, CA.  The volunteers were there to read with second grade students as part of the very first Barclays reading party on the West Coast.

The volunteers and young readers traded off reading Something Beautiful, Luna Moths: Masters of Change, and the Barclays special edition of The Berenstain Bears’ Dollars and Sense to one another.  At the end of the reading party, the children were ecstatic to learn that they would each be taking home the three new books in a Barclays backpack.

James Willcox, CEO of Aspire Public Schools, was also on hand to read to students and talk with volunteers about the great things happening at Berkley Maynard and other Aspire Public Schools.  He mentioned that in 2010, 100% of Aspire’s graduating seniors were accepted to college, exemplifying the charter school network’s motto, “College for Certain.”

Like Aspire Public Schools, Barclays strives to prepare students for college.  In addition to hosting reading parties like the one at Berkley Maynard, Barclays has provided 10 schools with book grants to the College Prep and Personal Finance sections of the First Book Marketplace.

Posted in Books & Reading, First Book Events, First Book Partners, Marketplace - Tagged , , , ,

Thank you so much …

Apr15
2011 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

This week is National Volunteer Appreciation Week, and we want to take a moment to say “Thank you!” to all the First Book volunteers – the interns who give their time and knowledge at the First Book offices, the volunteers who come out to our reading parties and book distributions, the high school students and teachers who help us distribute tons of books (literally) each year, and the thousands of members of First Book Advisory Boards all across the country who raise over a million dollars every year to support schools and programs in their local communities.

Thank you!

We couldn’t do it without you.

Posted in Advisory Boards, Around the First Book Office, Volunteers - Tagged ,

First Book at the Gramercy School in NYC

Feb08
2011 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

Volunteers from Barclays Capital read to kids at New York City’s Gramercy School at a First Book event

On Thursday, some of our staffers met up with volunteers from Barclays Capital for a reading event at the YAI Network‘s Gramercy School in New York City. The preschool serves children ages 3-5 who have developmental disabilities and/or learning delays.

The kids especially enjoyed In the Snow, Bear About Town and stories from Eric Carle’s All Around Us collection. Barclays volunteers also participated in classroom lessons that the Gramercy teachers developed specifically for the occasion, like making sure that Bear was ready to go to town by helping glue his scarf, jacket and boots on.

Best of all, every child at the event received a backpack with three brand-new books to keep.

These books are part of Barclays’ ongoing commitment to helping First Book bring books to children from low-income communities. Thanks to their support, we’ll be launching a special section dedicated to financial literacy and college readiness on the First Book Marketplace next month.

Learn more about this event here.

Posted in Education, First Book Partners, Marketplace - Tagged , , , , ,

Ten Cool Things First Book Did in 2010

Jan06
2011 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

Ten Cool Things First Book Did in 2010

2010 was a big year for First Book, and we couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks to our friends, fans, and generous supporters, we have a lot to celebrate.

Here are some of the cool things you helped make possible this past year:

We Reached the Milestone of 80 Million Books
At our annual Book Bash fund-raiser in New York City, we handed a basket of books to Round the Clock Nursery. One of the books in that basket was the 80 millionth book that First Book has distributed to kids in need since our founding in 1992.

We Shared the Stage With World Leaders
Kyle Zimmer, our president and co-founder, spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Kyle discussed the impact and importance of the First Book Marketplace as a leading model for social entrepreneurship.

We Worked in Our Local Communities
Local First Book volunteer groups (known as Advisory Boards) in cities, towns and counties nationwide helped distribute $3 million worth of new books to kids in their communities.

We Teamed Up With ‘Reading is Fundamental’
First Book and Reading is Fundamental (RIF) joined forces to provide 600,000 new books to children in RIF programs across the country.

We Added New Books to Our Marketplace
We added lots of great new titles to our online Marketplace – including authors like Eric Carle, Jeff Kinney, Susan Meddaugh, Mo Willems and many others – so teachers and program leaders have even more choices.

We Got People to See Waiting for “Superman”
First Book was excited to kick off the pledge campaign as a promotional partner for this powerful documentary film.

We Released Special Editions
First Book continued one of our favorite traditions this year, releasing several new special editions, including Mo Willems’ Elephant & Piggie books and Eileen Spinelli’s ‘While You Are Away’.

We Distributed One Million Books With Target
To celebrate the launch of the ‘Read With Me’ campaign, Target helped us distribute one million new books to schools across the country. When a million people pledge to commit to read with a child, Target will provide another million books.

We Read a Lot of Short Stories
Volunteers from First Book’s local Advisory Boards read nearly 8,000 stories submitted through the Cheerios® New Author Contest in order to pick the top 25. That’s more than twice as many submissions as last year!  (Check back in March to read the winning entry).

We Helped Kids Learn About Science and Math
Working with Lockheed Martin, First Book started a new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) section in our Marketplace, featuring books, educational materials and other resources for teachers.

We Rode the Book Bus
Our friends at Bess the Book Bus distributed over 36,000 new books to kids everywhere on their nationwide tour, and put smiles on more than a few young faces in the process.

We Helped Feed America
First Book joined up with Feeding America to distribute 250,000 new books at 25 of their food banks, reaching some of the kids who need our help the most.

To all our hard-working volunteers, our tremendous corporate, nonprofit partners and publishing partners, our generous donors and – most importantly – the kids who take our books home and read them and come back for more, we wish you a happy New Year!

PS – If you are counting, there are actually twelve items on this list. We did so many cool things this year that it was difficult to narrow it down.

Posted in Advisory Boards, Authors & Illustrators, Book Distributions, Book Recipients, First Book Partners, Marketplace, STEM - Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

ABs in the News: November 18, 2010

Nov18
2010 Written by Nicole T.

First Book Advisory Boards (ABs) are committees of volunteers that implement the First Book mission in their local communities by raising money and providing books grants to programs that serve children in need.  Here are a few stories that highlight the great work being done by First Book Advisory Boards across the country.

First Book-Sussex Valley, NJ participated in a local community event and raised money to grant books to community children. During Second Saturday, a local fair in downtown Newton, New Jersey, the advisory board sold raffle tickets for a brown bear quilt to provide new books to Sussex County children.

First Book-Mahoning Valley, OH recently participated in the Austintown Library’s Princess party, a gathering for local girls that raised money for children’s programs at the library, and also created tiaras to give to the local hospital. First Book-Mahoning Valley provided copies of “Harold and the Purple Crayon” to attendees.

First Book- Clallam County, WA recently partnered up with the First Step Family Support Center’s Read First Program to provide books for a family pajama party night.  Attendees watched a free showing of “Charlotte’s Web” and each family received a new book to take home.

First Book is always seeking energetic, entrepreneurial volunteers to join our Advisory Boards or to help us start new ones.  If you’d like to get involved, please see the In Your Community section of the First Book website.

Posted in Advisory Boards, Book Recipients - Tagged

ABs in the News: October 20, 2010

Oct20
2010 Written by Nicole T.

First Book Advisory Boards (ABs) are committees of volunteers that implement the First Book mission in their local communities by raising money and providing books grants to programs that serve children in need.  Here are a few stories that highlight the great work being done by First Book Advisory Boards across the country.

First Book-Clearfield County, PA recently held a book distribution for children in the Clearfield County, Pennsylvania area. Each child who attended received a free book and got to meet Clifford the Big Red Dog. The Advisory Board worked with local groups to make the event possible.

First Book-Cumberland County, NJ’s founding member, Ashleigh Udalovas, has recently been named the Outstanding Citizen for October by The Greater Millville Chamber of Commerce. Along with starting her local advisory board, Ashleigh is the reigning Miss New Jersey. Ashleigh uses her position to promote her platform, “Read to Succeed: Improving America’s Future Through Literacy.” Congratulations, Ashleigh!

First Book-Greater Richmond, VA recently granted Beulah Elementary School 3,992 books, enough to provide 6 books for every eligible student this year. The grant was celebrated at the Books & Breakfast event, where every child was able to choose a book to read and take home.

First Book-Horry County, SC recently teamed up with their local Barnes & Noble to present the American Girl Tea Party & Book Fair. The event was in the style of a tea party for young girls and their American Girl dolls to celebrate the new InnerStar University doll for 2010. A portion of the sales made during the event along with the money raised from a raffle for an American Girl doll went to benefit First Book.

In preparation for their celebration of Awareness Week, November 8-13, First Book-Rhodes College, TN was featured in the Rhodes College News.  “One of our big goals this year is to focus on Awareness Week,” co-chair Jerica Sandifer ’12 says. “We [want to] move from just being a fundraising organization to being an advocacy organization too. We are getting at the root cause of illiteracy.”

First Book is always seeking energetic, entrepreneurial volunteers to join our Advisory Boards or to help us start new ones.  If you’d like to get involved, please see the In Your Community section of the First Book website.

Posted in Advisory Boards, Book Recipients - Tagged

ABs in the News: September 15, 2010

Sep15
2010 Written by Nicole T.

First Book Advisory Boards (ABs) are committees of volunteers that implement the First Book mission in their local communities by raising money and providing books grants to programs that serve children in need.  Here are a few stories that highlight the great work being done by First Book Advisory Boards across the country.

First Book-East Coachella Valley, CA’s own Kathy Kronemeyer was recently spotlighted in The Desert Sun for her work in the Desert Sands Unified School District. After retiring last year, Kronemeyer began volunteering in the afterschool program at Jackson School, directing both the drama and technology clubs there, along with serving on her local First Book Advisory Board. We thank Ms. Kronemeyer for her support of First Book and education!

First Book-Bakersfield, CA announced their fall book distribution for pre-K to 2nd grade classes in Kern County.  Applications are being accepted until September 24th. Since 2001, First Book-Bakersfield has granted more than 14,000 books to young students in Kern County.

Misericorida University was recently ranked by Washington Monthly magazine as being in the top 12% of  college and universities for stressing social mobility of students and service to the greater community. Misericordia students ranked fourth in the nation for community involvement. First-Book Misericordia is a great example of how Misericordia students are giving back to their communities!

First Book-Sussex County, NJ hosted a book reading and signing event at An Open Book Bookstore on September 12th. The event featured five children’s authors: Wendy Mass, Lee Harper, Irene Breznak, Dianne Ochiltree and Alison Formento. A $5 donation for each family will go to the Advisory Board so they can grant books to local programs in Sussex County, New Jersey.

First Book is always seeking energetic, entrepreneurial volunteers to join our Advisory Boards or to help us start new ones.  If you’d like to get involved, please see the In Your Community section of the First Book website.

Posted in Advisory Boards, Book Recipients - Tagged
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