New Books, New Start

Words cannot express how much First Book has impacted our students. Fourteen of our classrooms were destroyed due to Hurricane Katrina. Many in our rural community are still feeling the strain of the devastation, particularly those families who remain displaced. At our school, though, they find a safe haven where books are treasured and their school nurtures the love of reading.

We are a Title I school. Many of our children have so little. First Book has given our students one of the greatest gifts possible: reassurance that others believe in them and their future. When the boxes of books from First Book arrive, I wish all of you who have had a part in the process could see their faces light up. I see their thanks in their eyes and in their smiles. I want to share with you a letter I received from one of my third-grade students:

February 21, 2008
Dear Mrs. Roberts,
Thank you for helping us receive our free books. My book is very good. Last night I read half of it. It’s great because I love books and I love reading books. Reading is so much fun. So I’ll see you Wednesday.
  - Hogan

Most third-grade boys would not take the time to write notes of thanks, but this young fellow really wanted me to know how much the free books meant to him. Thank you for caring, for sharing, for investing in the future.

Mrs. Josie Roberts, National Board Certified Library Media Specialist
Purvis Elementary School (Purvis, MS)

A Prescription for the Future

At the age of 37, I decided to make a dramatic change in my life. After years as a sign-language interpreter and with only 46 units left to complete my college degree, I decided to go back to school full time. Knowing that student loans would not be sufficient to cover costs, I needed to get creative. On June 13, 1999, I  became an active member of eBay. A summer of auctions as a seller raised the money I needed, and careful shopping and bidding supplied me with the equipment and materials I needed – and at bargain rates – to be a student. (I still shop on eBay, just this morning I bought a Dr. Seuss book bag for my boss.) After graduation, I began working at Molina Healthcare, which serves low-income families. One of the pediatricians suggested that children’s books be placed in the waiting rooms of the clinics to encourage parents to read to their children, so we organized a book drive and placed books in the waiting rooms of more than 20 doctors' offices. I will never forget the first day the kids discovered the books. They were so excited and begged to take the books home with them, saying they didn't have any books at home. Many said that it would be the first book they would own. My mission had begun. I begged for books from everyone I knew, held book drives, scoured garage sales, and spent hours searching on eBay.

My web browsing eventually led me to First Book. I remember the first time I applied for books. I requested 1,000 and held my breath. Then the email came: the books had been granted to us! As Book Buddies grew, we realized that the neighborhoods surrounding us needed our help, too. Soon we were reaching out to schools, churches, after-school programs, shelters, Boys & Girls Clubs, and YMCAs. I was determined not to let these kids down. We distributed 100,000 books in our first year. Our reputation as a literacy program grew and we moved from a 10- x 20-foot storage unit to a 1,000-square-foot warehouse. I remember thinking that this was an enormous amount of space -- how would I get enough books to fill it? First Book came to our rescue by increasing the amount of books granted to us with each application.

Today, Book Buddies is the cornerstone project of The Molina Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on education, access, and the reduction of disparities in health status. We know that access to books builds literacy and helps individuals not only break the cycle of poverty, but also improve their ability to fight barriers that lead to disparities in health status. Book Buddies now has a full-time staff of five, plus volunteers, and donates an average of 15,000 books a month to populations in need. To date, we have distributed more than 800,000 books to children in 6 states and we’ve built 42 libraries. Over the past five years, First Book has donated thousands of books to us. We are grateful beyond words. We would not be the program we are today without their help. Thank you, First Book, for helping us touch the lives of these children who so desperately need our help.

Kellie Cairns (eBay user ID: kmf1961)
Manager, Book Buddies
A literacy program of The Molina Foundation