Category Archive: Impact Stories

First Book and ALAS: Better Serving Latino Youth

Posted in: Impact Stories

Veronica Rivera serves as the Executive Director for the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS), which leads at the national level to ensure every school in America effectively serves the educational needs of all students, with an emphasis on Latino youth. She recently joined us for a Q&A session... Read more

A Path Appears

Posted in: Focus on First Book, Impact Stories

Today’s blog post is an excerpt from A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity, the latest book from New York Times’ columnist and best-selling authors Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. In A Path Appears, which was released yesterday by Random House, Nick and Sheryl highlight “some of today’s most successful... Read more

Read to Me – Creating Literacy Mentors

Posted in: Impact Stories

Today’s guest blogger, Barbara Greenway, is the Founder and Director of The Read to Me Project. When I ask the kids in my program how many of them struggle in school, half of their hands raise in the air. It can be frustrating to spend your day in an environment... Read more

187 Reasons Why a Teacher Needs Books

Posted in: For Educators, Impact Stories

Today’s guest blogger, Sarah Kilway, wrote to us after receiving hundreds of new books for her students. We couldn’t resist sharing her story with you. I teach 187 kids at Ben Davis Ninth Grade Center in Indianapolis, IN. The majority of my students live in poverty. Most have only one... Read more

My Kids Need Books

Posted in: Impact Stories

Today’s guest blogger, Adara Robbins, is 8th grade teacher at YES Prep Southwest, a public charter school in Houston, Texas. Where do you see yourself in five years? It’s a tough question. But imagine trying to answer if you didn’t know what your life would look like tomorrow – much... Read more

Healthy Minds Mean Healthy Lives

Posted in: Impact Stories

Guest Blogger Chris Dobbins became Director of the Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services on July 1 2013. Dobbins is a 20-year veteran of the US Air Force and is the former Health Director of the Gaston County Health Department. Health departments throughout the country work diligently to... Read more

496 Million Women

Posted in: Focus on First Book, Impact Stories

496 million. That’s how many women in the world can’t read or write even the most simple sentence. Many women never have the opportunity to reach 6th grade, and some don’t get to go to school at all. Today, we join citizens around the world in celebrating International Women’s Day,... Read more

Across America in an RV With First Book

Posted in: Impact Stories

Today’s blog post is by Brenda Berg, who loaded her family into an RV and spent over half a year traveling across the country. They called their adventure the Gump Trip, and along the way they distributed 6,000 brand-new books to kids in need at local schools and community programs... Read more

5 Inspiring Stories Of Kids Helping Kids

Posted in: Impact Stories

We can all learn something from the selfless acts of children. Check out these five stories of kids helping kids in need get new books. 1. The Best Neighbor Ever. Crestwood Intermediate School in Mantua, Ohio puts others first. The 3rd-5th graders raised over $1300 through a First Book Virtual... Read more