Tercera Campaña Anual de Recaudación de Fondos Navideña "Dona un Millón"

National nonprofit raising $1 million in donations to provide 1 million booksto kids in need for the holidays.

November 15, 2021 (Washington, D.C.) – Today, First Book, the largest online community of educators serving kids in poverty, announced the launch of its annual holiday giving campaign to raise $1 million to provide 1 million new, high-quality books to kids in need. Give a Million, the end-of-year fundraising initiative that runs through December 31, sets an ambitious goal culminating in the gift of a new, high-quality book to 1 million children living in poverty to take home this holiday season. In the United States, more than 60 percent of low-income families have no children’s books in their homes.

First Book’s network of more than 525,000 educators, librarians, providers, and others who work specifically with children in need are sharing their “book wish”for the holidays, explaining how they would distribute the books and what the gift would mean to the children they serve. With the help of generous donors and First Book partners, First Book will fulfill educator requests to give the gift of a new book to children this holiday season.

“For many kids, it will be the first book they have ever owned or the only gift they will receive during the holidays. New books provide a powerful sense of self-esteem and open the whole world for the children we serve. The gift of a book is invaluable,” said Kyle Zimmer, First Book’s President, CEO, and Co-founder.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted classroom learning, exacerbated socioeconomic disparities across the country, strained school budgets and resources, and amplified mental and emotional health challenges for students. Surveys of members in First Book’s network affirm educators’ concerns about student well-being as the CDC reports spikes in mental health emergencies for children over the past year. Still, as educators face continued challenges relating to the pandemic, their top funding priority is investing in books, with an overwhelming 99 percent of educators in the First Book Network prioritizing books for the students they serve in their own classroom or program. Educators report that books act as a simple yet effective tool to address a broad range of students’ needs from promoting social-emotional health, to supporting struggling readers, and offering stories that reflect diversity.

First Book’s work has always been informed and driven by the needs of educators and the students and families they serve. This holiday season First Book will continue a tradition of answering educators’ holiday book wishes and distributing books that children can take home to cherish, starting or adding to a home library for the whole family.