Welcome Sign

5 Schools, 9 Days, 25,000 Books

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
Melaney Smith, Books for Keeps, Inc.
(404) 808-8625
givethembooks@gmail.com

Books for Keeps Fulfills Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Provide Books to Athens Children

Athens, Ga. – April 27, 2012 – Over the next two weeks, Athens non-profit Books for Keeps will distribute nearly 25,000 books to Athens children, just in time for summer vacation.  This fulfills the 2012 portion of the organization’s commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative to provide 12 books per child to every kindergarten – 5th grade student attending any Clarke County School District elementary school where 90% or more of students qualify for free/reduced-fee lunches.

“The library is simply not an option for every child, for a number of reasons outside a child’s control,” said Books for Keeps founder Melaney Smith. “Our program is based on a three-year University of Florida study that found giving children 12 books each at the beginning of summer was statistically as impactful as summer school on reading achievement.  We give children high-interest books, for keeps, to ensure they have access to books all summer long, regardless of proximity to a library, family income, or parental ability/involvement.”

Every student at 5 local schools will receive books: Gaines School Elementary, Howard B. Stroud Elementary, Alps Road Elementary, Judia Jackson Harris Elementary, and Fowler Drive Elementary.

Members of the media are invited to attend the May 10th book distribution at Howard B. Stroud elementary school from 12-2pm.  Members of the Georgia Bulldogs football team will talk to children about the importance of reading, and volunteers from local gourmet food products company Fire and Flavor will assist children in selecting their books.

“Books for Keeps is doing important work to level the playing field for children, where access to books in concerned,” said Fire and Flavor president Davis Knox, who provides donated warehouse space to Books for Keeps. “We help Books for Keeps with their warehouse and operational needs, but we’re especially looking forward to helping the children choose their books.”

Books for Keeps gives books to students in pre-K through 12th grade to prevent an academic achievement loss known as summer slide. “Research has shown that kids who don’t read during the summer often return to school lagging 2-3 months behind their classmates,” said UGA reading researcher and Books for Keeps board member Dr. Jennifer Graff. “The gap compounds every year, often affecting children from low-income families at an alarmingly disproportionate rate. By giving books directly to kids, we enable them to read all summer and hopefully mitigate summer slide.”

The Clarke County School District recognized Books for Keeps with a 2011 Impact Award. "Books for Keeps has made a difference in the lives of many Clarke County students," said Superintendent Philip D. Lanoue. "Melaney has shown that one person can directly impact a child's future. To help instill a love of reading is a lifelong gift and we are grateful for the support of this organization."

“We bring our books to the schools to make sure no child falls through the cracks,” said Smith. “The students come to the school media center, one class at a time, and our volunteers help each child choose 12 books to keep. Their reactions are priceless and hard to describe – there’s a joy in the room that’s contagious. It keeps us going the other 11 ½ months of the year. ”

Learn more at www.booksforkeeps.org. For additional information or interviews, contact Melaney Smith at (404) 808-8625 or givethembooks@gmail.com.

***
About Books for Keeps:  Books for Keeps started as one woman’s effort to help a child who loved to read but had no books at home. It grew into a grassroots movement to end summer slide in Athens by ensuring children have access to books during summer. Books for Keeps distributes books to Clarke County School District students ranging from pre-K through 12th grade.  The elementary school program is based on a University of Florida study that found giving economically-disadvantaged elementary school children 12 high-interest books each at the beginning of summer had an impact on reading achievement statistically similar to attending summer school.

About Fire and Flavor: Based in Athens, Ga., Fire & Flavor is a leading marketer and producer of innovative products and concepts for preparing fresh, healthy food. Founded in 2003 by husband-and-wife team Davis and Gena Knox, Fire & Flavor offers unique and easy-to-use products to make simple, gourmet meals at home. Products are currently sold throughout the United States. Fire & Flavor products are certified sustainable, all natural, Kosher, gluten-free and low in sodium. Visit the company online at www.fireandflavor.com.

Book Distribution Schedule

After a year of hard work, the fun begins!

Come help us distribute books to children; it just might be the easiest volunteer job you've ever had. Volunteer shifts are listed below. They range from about 1 1/2 hours to 3 hours, and you're welcome to choose more than one. Training takes place in the first 10 minutes of each shift. Just wear comfortable shoes for standing.

To sign up: click the button below and enter your email address to view the shifts. Then click the shift you'd like to sign up for. For instructions and the address, click "More Details" next to the shift name.

GAINES ELEMENTARY

Mon. April 30th
Morning: 7:50-11:00  Still need 2 people
Afternoon: 11:40-2:30 full

Tue. May 1st
Morning: 7:50-10:10 Still need 2 people
Mid: 10:10-11:55 
Afternoon: 12:35-2:25

JJ HARRIS ELEMENTARY

Wed. May 2nd
Morning: 8:50-10:40 full
Afternoon: 11:30-2:15



Thu. May 3rd
Morning: 8:20-10:15
Mid: 10:15-12:00
Afternoon: 12:50-2:15 Still need 2 people

ALPS ELEMENTARY

Mon. May 7th
Morning: 7:45-10:45full

Tue. May 8th
Morning: 8:50-11:35 (Clarke County School District) Full
Afternoon: 12:25-1:50 (Clarke County School District) Full

FOWLER ELEMENTARY

Wed May 9th
Morning: 8:45-10:40 (UGA Volunteer Dawgs) Full
Afternoon: 11:30-2:15 (UGA Volunteer Dawgs) Full

Thu May 10th
Morning: 8:20-11:30 (Alpha Beta Gamma of Athens Technical College) Full
Afternoon: 12:20-2:10 (Alpha Beta Gamma of Athens Technical College) Full

STROUD ELEMENTARY

Thu May 10th
Morning: 8:50-10:50
Afternoon: 11:50-2:10 (Fire & Flavor) Full

Fri May 11th
Morning: 8:20-10:10
Mid: 10:30-12:20 (Athens Lunchtime Optimist Club) Full
Afternoon: 12:40-2:05 Full

Inventory Update

Books are starting to come in from the many book drives taking place, and at the same time we're divvying up books for boxing. Things are crazy at the warehouse!

My best guess is we're about 2,000 books short. We're particularly low on books for 4th-5th graders. While we're sorting, counting, and boxing, I hope you'll be on the lookout for these books, and get them to us quickly if you find them! (You can always donate funds to help us purchase them, of course.)

High-Interest Series/Authors for 4th-5th graders:
Big Nate, Candy Apple, Poison Apple, Amelia's Notebook, Dear Dumb Diary, Dork Diaries, David Lubar books, the "Psycho Butt" series (Andy Griffiths), BONE graphic novels, Guinness World Record books, 39 Clues, and of course Wimpy Kid.



Books we have PLENTY of:
Animorphs, CS Lewis, Matt Christopher, Hannah Montana, High School Musical, Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Andrew Clements, Roald Dahl, Horrible Harry, Cam Jansen, A to Z Mysteries. Supply is greater than demand for these, so we're pulling some out and will hold them til next year.

Regarding our "top 4":
Our focus on Diary of a Wimpy Kid paid off! We have twice as many as last year. We also have plenty of Goosebumps. We could use more Junie B Jones, but at least we have enough to take to every school. The surprise: Captain Underpants. Where is he hiding? We only have 200 on hand, so we'll only be able to take these to 1 school this year.


There are only a couple of weeks left to get these books. Please be on the lookout - yard sales, Goodwill, etc - or donate funds today.

Athens Book Drop Off Event - Saturday!

This is it. Our final push to collect the 6,000 books we need to reach our goal.

Can we provide 12 books to every child attending a Clarke County elementary school where 90% or more of students qualify for free/reduced-fee lunches?

Yes, if you tell your friends and neighbors. Their books could very well determine whether or not we make our goal.

Books for Keeps Donation Drop-off Day
Saturday, March 24
10:00 AM-2:00 PM
Collecting gently-used books for children of any age, Pre-K through 12th grade.

1: Fire & Flavor Warehouse: 375 Commerce Blvd., Suite B, Athens (Directions)
2: Old Gaines Elementary School: 280 Gaines School Road (Directions)

Volunteers will be on-hand at both locations to help you unload your books and to provide tax receipts. (If you choose the Fire and Flavor drop-off, come inside and see Books for Keeps in action! Melaney and volunteers from Athens Technical College will be sorting and inspecting donations as they come in.)

We are grateful to Pump it Up for providing a Buy One, Get One Free admission coupon to every family that brings books Saturday.

Rain or shine, bring your books. Tell somebody.

Speechless

Imagine: You're Bayne, my husband. You stop by the house at lunch to pick something up for work. And you see this in front of your house.



I told him I was expecting a large delivery, but I'm not sure he was listening!

That's a mighty big truck to deliver 1,500 books, but I'm not complaining. Thanks to the Robert Campeau Family Foundation and several other very generous BFK donors, we were able to purchase 1,500 wonderful new books from Reading Warehouse for about $1/book.

What a great day at BFK!

We're getting there!

Thank you, Barbara Dooley!

Audio archive of Barbara Dooley's radio interview with Books for Keeps founder Melaney Smith. Thank you, Barbara, for helping spread the word about our efforts to stop summer slide!

20,664

We've crossed the 20,000 book mark! Can the Atlanta book drive or the Athens Drop-off Day get us to 26,696 books? Only if people hear about them. Tell someone today. (Please?!)

19,331 Books

Only 7,500 more to go... in the next 6 weeks.

*ATLANTA* Book Drive March 10th-31st

We are so excited to announce our first "official" book drive inside the Atlanta city limits! I hope our Atlanta supporters will help spread the word... we need the books.


Adore Furniture
March 10-March 31
Mon-Sat 10am-6pm
Sun 12-6pm
1510 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd, Atlanta (Directions)

This two-week book drive is taking place in the middle of a hot shopping spot for furniture and home goods in Atlanta, so leave yourself plenty of time to shop after you drop off your books!

Scenes from Friday

Friday, 5pm, My House

Car: Waiting for someone to unload it.


Books: Waiting for someone to make room in the car.


Trailer: Waiting for someone to finish packing it.

New packages: Waiting for someone to load them on the trailer.


EmptyBoxes: Waiting for someone to break them down.


Where is the "someone" who's going to do all this? She realized it was 5pm on Friday and abandoned her post. Have a nice weekend!

Book Drives!

Can we collect 9,000 more books in the next 8 weeks? The jury is still out, but check out the ways people near and far are rallying to help.

BOOK DRIVES IN ATHENS

Pump it Up
March 1-31
400 Commerce Blvd., Suite D, Athens (Directions)
Bring your books during Pop-In Play Time (or to a scheduled party) and you'll receive a Buy One Get One Free admission coupon. The collection bin is just inside the front door. Your kids will love Pump it Up! (Thank you, John, for this generous offer!)


Fire and Flavor Drop-off Day***
Saturday, March 24
10:00 AM-2:00 PM
375 Commerce Blvd., Suite B, Athens (Directions)

Every family who brings books to our Drop-off Day will receive a Buy One, Get One Free admission coupon from Pump it Up. Bring your books by the boxful directly to Books for Keeps at the Fire and Flavor warehouse (just down the street from Pump it Up). We'll have volunteers on hand to help you unload your car.
***East-siders: we'll have a second drop-off location set up at the old Gaines Elementary School, 280 Gaines School Road.


BOOK DRIVES IN ATLANTA:

Bitsy Grant Tennis Center
March 1-31
2125 Northside Drive, Atlanta (Directions | Hours)

Bring your books to the main office, and learn about their UTA Junior Tennis Academy and Summer Tennis Camp. This is our first official in-town Atlanta book drive - thank you Amy & Taylor for making it happen.



Adore Furniture
March 10-24
Mon-Sat 10am-6pm; Sun 12-6pm
1510 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd, Atlanta (Directions)

This two-week book drive is taking place in the middle of a hot shopping spot for furniture and home goods in Atlanta, so leave yourself plenty of time to shop after you drop off your books. Adore is fairly new - can't wait to check them out!

ELSEWHERE

These book drives aren't open to the public, but they're so inspiring!

Canada: Can you believe a school in Canada is holding a book drive for us?! Six students at St. Raymond Elementary School (K-8th grade) in Mississauga, Ontario are helping Donna, one of Books for Keeps' earliest supporters, organize a school-wide drive. They'll pre-inspect the books and ship the ones that meet our criteria. Wow.

South Carolina: A scout troop in Greenville is holding a book drive in March, led by Dirk (who might wish his wife Kay had never heard of Books for Keeps... but we'd be lost without her!)

Tennessee: Sacred Heart Cathedral School in Knoxville is holding a drive in April, and delivering the books to Athens PDQ so we can include them in our distributions in May.

I'll share more as I learn more. Thank you, everyone who is rallying to help Books for Keeps meet its commitment to Athens children. 9,000 books in 8 weeks. We. Will. Do. It.

ATTN: UGA Alums!

Can UGA alumni rally to raise 10,000 books for Athens children?

As a UGA alum, you probably have many fond memories of beautiful, quirky Athens G.A. But you might not be aware of the devastating increase in poverty (Athens now ranks #1 in the nation for cities over 100,000 residents), and the toll it’s taking on Athens children.

Books for Keeps began as one UGA alumna’s effort to help an Athens child who loved to read but didn’t own a single book. It’s grown into a research-based program to end “summer slide”, a well-documented achievement loss that occurs in children who don’t read during the summer.

Support Athens children by helping Books for Keeps raise 10,000 more books by April 1st. Every $2 you donate buys 1 - or more - new books for an Athens child.

Books for Keeps will provide books to every student at 5 Athens elementary schools where 90% or more of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. The organization has raised 15,000 books, but needs 10,000 more by April 30^th – which means the funds are needed by April 1.

There are 3 ways you can help:

1. Share our alumni Facebook page with your fellow UGA alumni, to help spread the word
2. Donate funds via the Books for Keeps Web site. Every $2 buys 1 new book (sometimes more!) If you’d like, specify a memorial or honorary message and Books for Keeps will post it on their Web site.
3. Donate gently used books. There are drop off locations around Athens, and there will be a book rally in Atlanta in March.
   

S.O.S.

We're 12,000 books short of our goal, and distributions start in 10 weeks. It's a bad time to ask for help, I know. But this is serious. Books for Keeps can't do this without more help from our supporters. 2,000 children in 5 Athens schools are counting on receiving 12 books each... starting April 30th.

Have we tapped out the Athens market for used children's books? I'm out of ideas, and starting to panic. Forget about the public humiliation of not honoring a commitment made to a former U.S. President... it's about keeping Athens children in school.

Yes - you read that correctly: keeping children in school.

Our program is not a feel-good program that exists to make children happy - although we do believe it will help instill a love of reading. It's a program based on research that shows 12 books per child helps prevent summer slide. If we can keep these elementary school children reading during summer, they're less likely to be 2 years behind their classmates in reading achievement by 6th grade.

Which means they're less likely to drop out of school. Which means they're more likely to be productive members of society when they grow up. I actually believe this; I know many of you do, too, and the research backs up this belief.

Books for Keeps reaches reluctant readers from low-income families by providing books so enticing, so fun to read, that children will read without any encouragement from an adult during summer.

We don't know the children's home situations. Perhaps their parents can't read, or don't understand that importance of reading. Perhaps their parents aren't home during the day... or have past-due fines at the library... or don't have a car, or bus fare, to get to the library. For whatever reason, studies have shown that children from low-income families have far less access to books outside of school, through no fault of their own, and it jeopardizes their futures.

3 years ago, I met a little girl who loved to read but didn't own a single book. I got so mad, and thought "Why doesn't someone DO something about this?" I've been trying be that someone ever since, and many have joined in this effort. But we need more help. Lots more help. And we need it fast.

• Can you make a tax-deductible donation, right now? If not, how about your company... church.. book club? I'm negotiating to purchase new books for around $1 each.
• Can you organize a book drive at your home, office, or church? How about your child's school?
• Can you share our story on your Facebook page?
• Do you have contacts you can use to help us?

Athens has rallied around Books for Keeps in the past, and we've always made our goal at the last minute. But we've never come close to collecting 12,000 books in 10 weeks. Will you help?

Mt. Bethel Book Drive Results - wow!

It took us until early February to finish counting and sorting the books from last November's Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church book drive. Of the 15,000 books we have in inventory for our May program, approximately 5,000 came from Mt. Bethel parishioners. What a blessing for Athens children!

In total, we collected approximately 17,300 books during the book drive. Here's a breakdown of how it all worked:

• 100+ volunteers spent over 300 hours counting and sorting books, and we began distributing them to schools as counting was underway.
• 5,200 books were placed in storage for our May Stop Summer Slide! elementary school program, which provides 12 books per student to every child attending an elementary school where 90% or more of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. These books will be distributed in May.
• 1,800 books were distributed to Pre-K students at 5 schools in December and January.
• 1,200 books were distributed to high school students in January and February.
• 1,000 books were delivered to Clarke Middle School, for distribution this spring.
• 700 Christian books were distributed to children through a program ministering to families in a high-poverty trailer park in Athens.
• 400 puzzle and activity books were donated to 5 elementary schools for use in their mentor rooms.
• 7,000 books (mostly for adults) were placed in storage for our next book sale, which will raise funds for our 2013 program.

Mt. Bethel provided more than just books!

• Funds: Mt. Bethel group Couples in Christ and other individual donors contributed $359 to help us purchase additional books.
• Supplies: Another group within Mt. Bethel, contributed 40 storage bins, which are always in short supply in our warehouse.
• Volunteers: Dozens of Mt. Bethel parishioners worked many, many hours on this book drive. Glen produced a video that’s become an invaluable tool for informing others about our mission. Volunteers moved books from the office to the Pod each day. They showed up en masse for two intense days of sorting and packaging books to ship to Athens. A group of veterans loaded the truck for delivery to Athens, and Mt. Bethel staff delivered the books straight to our warehouse.

We are so grateful to Paster Randy Mickler, Mt. Bethel parishioners, and to Donna, Cliff, Johnna and Glen for making this book drive possible. Thank you all.

Thank you, Deep Discount Purchase Fund donors!

Check out the amazing books we were able to purchase recently, thanks to the people who clicked the "Donate" button and contributed to our Deep Discount Purchase Fund: 1,065 new books for an average of $.95 each!

Here's a sample of what we got. (I couldn't resist opening a few boxes before taking them to the warehouse.)


I focused heavily on dinosaurs, but also on other books requested by boys - we are incredibly short on these books. First Book USA offered us a significant discount - some titles were as low as $.35 each.

This is my favorite. It's a hardback picture book (for $.35!), but it's actually for older children - 2nd-4th grades. Can't you see a child picking up this book with no encouragement from an adult? It's packed with pictures and information that will keep a child reading for hours.


We now have some dinosaur books for every age range. Until this shipment arrived, we had maybe 50, total - for 2,000 kids!

I wish you could have seen the UPS man's face when he knocked on my garage door at the end of the long work day and said "Um... are you Melaney? You may want to come see this..." I felt so sorry for him that I helped him unload the truck.


I am trying to raise several thousand dollars, quickly, so that I can place another order. This time I'm focused on sports books, one of the top 3 requests from last year. We have 43. That's it. Non-fiction basketball and football books about current teams and athletes are the top request, and it's not going to be easy.

I'm negotiating discounts and will buy as many as I can, but seriously, I can't do this without your help. Please make a tax-deductible donation. (Today, if possible!) Or, purchase a Books for Keeps tote bag. Either way, you're providing books for children who might not otherwise have any.

Thank you, everyone who made this purchase possible!

It's starting again...

Remember these photos from last year, when books began taking over my foyer, dining room, and many other rooms in my house?

If you do, this morning's photo won't seem very impressive.


That's because I got smart and set up my garage with shelves for book shipments and drop-offs.



I try to have local books delivered straight to our warehouse, but many times my car is completely full and I need the space quickly for something else, so the books get unloaded to the garage. NOT the dining room!



Another contributing factor is that we can't have books shipped directly to Fire and Flavor's warehouse. Until we have our own space, with a real mailing address, mail-in donations will continue to go to Kay in Greenville, and purchases/grants will continue to arrive at my house.


In fact, I'm expecting 20-40 boxes of books from First Book in the next few days, so I'd better get out there and make some room.

You buy a tote, we'll buy a few books.

This is not your average tote bag.

It's sturdy and stylish, for sure. But proceeds from the sale of this tote bag will make it possible for us to purchase many, many books. First Book and Scholastic Literacy Partners make new books available to us for for $.35 - $2.00 per book. So the purchase of a single tote makes a big difference!


It's big. 22" wide x 16" tall x 6" deep.


It's sturdy. I've filled mine with books til I could barely carry it, and it held up just fine. It's a light cotton canvas.


Here's a side view.


The tote was made possible by some wonderful businesses who sponsored the funds to have the totes purchased and printed. So 100% of the proceeds from tote sales (after taxes and shipping), come straight to Books for Keeps.


To Purchase Your Tote(s):
1. Click the Donate button at the top-right of this page.
2. Specify in the notes section that you're purchasing totes
3. Include your address.

The prices below include taxes and shipping in the U.S. (If you're outside the U.S., email Melaney at givethembooks@gmail.com for a quote.)

1-5 totes - $15 per tote
6 or more totes - $10 per tote

We can fit 14 totes in a Priority Mail Flat Rate shipping box. Can you imagine how many books that will buy, at $.35 - $2 each?!

A special thank you to our sponsors - we couldn't have done this without you!

Allergy Partners of Georgia
Classic City Orthodontics
Fire and Flavor
First American Bank
Holland and Company
Keba Grill
Locos Grill
Macrae
Mirko Pasta
Mitchell Bridge Dental Associates
Regional First Care