When I was a little kid, I wanted to be an author because I wanted to find one of my books on the library shelves. Seriously, that was my dream: a big “PE” (for PERL) sticker on the spine and everything. While I must confess that seeing my books on... Read more
Last night, four First Book employees, with help from American Federation of Teachers’ volunteers, ventured to a small alley in the financial district of New York City to unload, label and sort 30,000 children’s books for victims of Hurricane Sandy. The American Federation of Teachers and their local New York... Read more
We are excited to share the big news that our friends at TD Charitable Foundation are stepping up with $114,000 in grants to put books in the hands of kids in need! The TD Charitable Foundation and First Book have provided new books to 50 schools and programs for the... Read more
“There is a great deal of noise on the stairs but nobody comes into the room.” — John F. Kennedy President Kennedy was referencing a Chinese proverb when he said that, making the point that it was easy to talk about problems, but much more difficult to fix them. Kyle... Read more
Exciting news! There are now 35,000 schools and programs serving kids in need in the First Book network. That’s 35,000 classrooms, libraries, church groups, afterschool programs, homeless shelters, military programs and daycare centers; all with permanent, ongoing access to a steady stream of brand-new, high-quality books. But as pleased as... Read more
The thing that I like about First Book is that kids can have their own books in their own houses that their parents can read to them, and, later, that they can read themselves. — Jane Greene, First Book supporter Jane Greene is a longtime supporter of First Book. She... Read more
This week, First Book and American Federation of Teachers members from Detroit and other Michigan communities helped to distribute 500,000 brand-new books to Michigan-area schools and schools throughout the country. Volunteers from Detroit-area AFT locals helped fill orders and load book cartons for those who came to the warehouse in... Read more
Today’s blog post is from Abby Bartholomew. Abby works for Kenexa Corporation, a company with a stellar philanthropy program allowing recipients to donate their full-time efforts for three months to an organization of their choice. Abby was one of the chosen employees this year and is volunteering in Denver, CO... Read more
Today’s blog post is from Leon Logothetis. Leon and Steven Priovolos have teamed up again for the Mongol Rally, a road trip that starts Saturday outside of London and ends in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. For every mile the two drive (and rules of the rally say the car can’t have more than a 1.2... Read more
Today’s guest blog post comes from Michelle Janaye. Michelle is the assistant director of The H.O.P.E. Scholarship, a non-profit organization designed to empower financially-challenged students with need-based scholarships. She is also a freelance writer and videographer in the Chicago metropolitan area. Follow her on Twitter @michellejanaye. There was never a... Read more