Category Archive: Impact Stories

Books of Their Own to Take Home: The Guru Krupa Foundation & Summer Reading

Posted in: Impact Stories

When Estrella Elementary opened their doors in 2010, they had barely any books available to students. A Title I school located in an impoverished Los Angeles neighborhood, Estrella can only supply a limited number of books and educational resources to each classroom, and has no books at all to help... Read more

My Brown is Beautiful, See it Please (Guest Post)

Posted in: For Educators, Impact Stories

Many thanks to Jasmine Villaverde-Mickens, Literacy Program Manager in Education, for this post. First graders at CentroNía’s DC Bilingual Public Charter School made self-portraits — with strokes of a brush, they were tasked to find their skin tone by mixing various colors of paint. “Look at my brown,” one student... Read more

Taylor Felice: How I Ran a Half Marathon to Bring Books to Kids in Need

Posted in: Impact Stories

Taylor Felice, a dedicated supporter of First Book, recently ran the Brooklyn Half-Marathon. Not only did she accomplish the goal of running the race but she also accomplished something else – getting books into the hands of kids in need. Taylor aimed to raise $1800 through First Book to provide... Read more

How First Book Works with Pi Beta Phi to Support Girls Everywhere

Posted in: Focus on First Book, Impact Stories

Today’s guest blog post is from Ann Shaw, Director of Philanthropy for Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women. Ann has held this volunteer role for the past six years. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Arkansas and her Master’s in Education from the University of New... Read more

15,000 New Books on the National Mall, Plus Celebrities, Cabinet Secretaries and Cute Kids

Posted in: Focus on First Book, Impact Stories

On Saturday, volunteers from across the country joined First Book on the National Mall in Washington DC to celebrate President Obama’s National Day of Service by providing 15,000 brand-new books to DC-area children from low-income families. Click here to see photos of the event, including pictures of volunteers, political leaders,... Read more

Operation Bookitecture!

Posted in: Impact Stories

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... Read more

Pi Beta Phi Brings Books About Great American Women to Kids in Need

Posted in: Focus on First Book, Impact Stories

This past November, First Book’s partner, Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women, celebrated their 100-year commitment to literacy service. To honor the momentous occasion, the Fraternity donated a special Pi Beta Phi edition of “Remember the Ladies: 100 Great American Women” to every student at Pi Beta Phi Elementary School... Read more

Why I Wanted to be An Author

Posted in: Author Voices, For Educators, Impact Stories

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

First Book and AFT Bring a Truckload of Books to Hurricane Sandy Victims

Posted in: Focus on First Book, Impact Stories

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

Banking On Books: TD Bank and First Book Bring 20,000 New Books to Kids in Need

Posted in: Focus on First Book, Impact Stories

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