Category Archive: Impact Stories

How One College Student is Making an Impact in Her Community

Posted in: Impact Stories

When Janessa Blythe discovered through a college leadership course that kids in her Waco, Texas community didn’t have access to books, she decided to act. The junior at Baylor University is launching Waco Up & Read, a program that provides books for kids from low-income communities. “It appalled me that... Read more

A Library Full of Books & Happiness

Posted in: Impact Stories

Will they still be here tomorrow? students often ask Morgan VanClief, the librarian at P.A. Shaw Elementary School in Dorchester, MA. They’re asking about the brand new books that Morgan has been able to bring to the school’s library through generous grants and access to the First Book Marketplace. Many... Read more

One Fan’s Campaign to Honor Her Favorite Book-Loving Celebrity

Posted in: Impact Stories

There is one woman who inspires Tesa Brand, a community volunteer and aspiring publicist from Fort Wayne, Indiana: Kerry Washington. Washington, the star of ABC’s Scandal, is an education advocate and avid reader. For her birthday last January, Washington started a campaign to provide books for kids in need by raising... Read more

This Girl Wrote One Email to Help Kids in Need

Posted in: Impact Stories

For thirteen year old Elka Longstreth, books have always been within arm’s reach, ready to transport her to another world. In fact, books are her world. Elka has books piling up on her desk and spilling out of the many bookshelves in her home. She’s always been a voracious reader.... Read more

This is a Life He Never Imagined

Posted in: Impact Stories

When Antwon’s kids get a little older, he plans to tell them what he’s been through. A 25-year-old father of three, he’s working hard to give them all a better life. Today, he is employed as a plumber, studying to get his GED and has completed a leadership and empowerment... Read more

770 Pounds of Dreams for His Students

Posted in: Impact Stories

It started with one spelling word. “Beach.” Malik Ray, a first-time second grade teacher in Atlanta, GA, taught his students their new spelling words by projecting a photo and having students guess the word before putting it in their notebooks. On this day, Malik displayed a photo of the sand,... Read more

Books Gave Him A Sense of Home – Even When He Didn’t Have One

Posted in: Impact Stories

Today’s guess blogger is Melissa Spradlin, Executive Director of Book’em in Nashville, TN. I want to tell you about Ben. From our first meeting, Ben had an extraordinary connection with books. Every time we met to read together, he chose one to keep. He was exceptionally grateful for each one.... Read more

How Arts & Crafts Created a Space to Talk and Heal

Posted in: Impact Stories

Today’s guest blogger is Emily Townsend, an Elementary School Counselor at Lowrie Primary School in Wilsonville, Oregon. Last year I worked daily with a fourth grade student whose father passed away right before Christmas break. He grieved mostly internally, and became increasingly distant, disengaged, and behind in school. After feeling... Read more

An Educator’s Campaign to Revitalize Her Library

Posted in: Impact Stories

When Vanessa Cadena entered the library at Bret Harte Middle School this school year, she knew she had a big job ahead of her. It was Vanessa’s first year at the school and the library had not been updated in almost twenty years. Full of damaged and outdated books, Vanessa... Read more

Tablets Help Struggling Readers Gain Confidence

Posted in: Focus on First Book, For Educators, Impact Stories

Earlier this school year Sharlene Scott, an Alternative Language Arts teacher in Gardena, California, brought two brand-new tablets into class for her students to explore. She was able to purchase them on the First Book Marketplace thanks to a partnership with Blackboard, Inc. Sharlene loaded the tablets with several apps... Read more