Operation Bookitecture!

KPMG’s Family for Literacy brightened the holiday season for children across the country by bringing more than 49,000 brand new books to children in need as part of their firm-wide community service project, Operation Bookitecture. This was no ordinary book drive, however.  Nearly 3,000 KPMG employees in 70 offices across the country conceived, designed and constructed familiar and whimsical structures out of the books before donating them to local programs serving children in need.

The creative structures were built as part of an office contest, of which our own Kyle Zimmer, CEO and President of First Book, was an esteemed judge. Entries depicted a wide range of scenes and structures, including cityscapes, a pirate ship, an ice skating rink, an igloo, various bridges, a castle, several East coast lighthouses, an Iditarod dog sled, different sports arenas, iconic towers and buildings (one complete with its own King Kong), a giant saguaro cactus, a Puerto Rican “guarita,” and even “A Streetcar Named Literacy.”

But who was the winner, you ask? There were actually two! Atlanta won the large office competition with their Reading Room and Ft. Lauderdale won the small office competition with Book City. Both of the winning offices received $2,500 to provide additional books to local First Book programs. We’d expect no less from our friends at KPMG!

Which office created your favorite structure? You be the judge!