Books for Keeps

Join us in welcoming Rachel Watkins to BFK!

Big news today out of Books for Keeps!

The Books for Keeps Board of Directors and Executive Director Leslie Hale are thrilled to announce the hiring of Athens resident and lifelong literacy advocate Rachel Watkins.

Rachel will take on the role of program manager, the second position ever filled here at Books for Keeps. It’s an exciting move by our organization as we launch an expansion to reach 15 additional schools in the next three to five years. Rachel will start work with Books for Keeps in January.

Books for Keeps is growing

There has been a lot happening at Books for Keeps lately, much of it behind the scenes and under the surface.

There are some things still brewing that we can’t share just yet (but they’re good – so keep watching!)

And then there are things that just beg to be talked about. Such big things that – as we started composing Facebook messages and tweets – we realized this announcement needed a little more room to spread out and breathe.

The short of it is this: Books for Keeps is growing. We are growing our service population – serving more students with more books. And we are growing our organizational capacity – hiring another employee to help us get there.

Our board of directors has been working on a strategic plan that lays out ambitious projections for growth: 15 new schools within the next five years. By the end of that five-year period, we plan to be in every public elementary school in Athens, five new schools in Atlanta, and three new schools in rural counties. The details of that strategic plan are still being crafted, but these are the broad (and exciting!) strokes.

To meet this five-year goal, Books for Keeps needs the boots on the ground to get it done. So, that’s the next part of this announcement: we are seeking the organization’s second-ever employee. This person will be responsible for managing the Stop Summer Slide! program – helping grow it into more schools, attracting new publishers and vendors as partners, and improving our volunteer program. (UPDATE: Read about our program manager here.)

In 2013, Books for Keeps was an all-volunteer organization serving just five schools in Athens. In the past three years, we doubled our program reach and hired an employee – a [...]

By booksforkeeps|September 17th, 2015|Uncategorized|Comments Off|

Throwin’ back to the very beginning

What better way to Throwback Thursday than to start where it all began? One person, one thought, one opportunity to make a change.

This was all only an idea in 2009, when our founder, Melaney Smith, decided to take a leap of faith and tackle an issue that had been nagging at her heart. When Melaney saw one child’s simple desire for an education, there was no turning back. Read on, and click the links in this post to learn more about the step-by-step process that gave birth to Books for Keeps.

With no books at home, and no access to a public library, many children lose the opportunity to learn and build on their reading skills during summer. What’s more, Melaney realized many of those children would actually lose reading skills entirely. Seeing this, Melaney took action that lead to a vast change in the lives of children across the community.

The idea of Books For Keeps came to Melaney six years ago when her niece, MK, first joined a local mentor program. MK noticed that the children she was mentoring could not afford the materials required to make the most of their education. It all started when MK overheard a little girl say, “I wish I had a book at my house.”

Some would have chosen to observe the situation and say, “someone should do something about this.” Well, Melaney decided to be that person. She took the situation into her own hands and said, “I am somebody. I can do something.” As Melaney began to build on this thought in her personal blog posts, she sought advice and ideas. These ideas led to the creation of an organization that has provided 185,000 books to children [...]

By booksforkeeps|August 27th, 2015|Uncategorized|Comments Off|

Melaney is setting a BIG goal again…

The following is a guest post from Books for Keeps founder and board member Melaney Smith. When she started giving books to Athens children in 2009, she had no idea the program would blossom into a full-fledged nonprofit. She set goals for herself – and the goals kept getting bigger. Now, she’s setting her biggest goal of all to mark her 50th birthday. In Melaney’s words:

Six years ago, I appealed for help when I met a little girl who loved to read, but was facing a summer without books. Not a single book in her home, and no access to the public library. Her teacher told me that many of her classmates were in the same boat, and would fall behind in school as a result.

I asked for help, and a miracle occurred. Family, friends, book lovers, and regular folks all over the U.S. responded, and the result was Books for Keeps, a research-based program that gives away 45,000 books each year to prevent summer slide. This video tells the story better than I ever could.

I started out with a blog to reach people and ask for help. I’m hoping this method still holds its magic. Because here it goes: another request for help, six years later.

I’m trying to raise $50,000 by my 50th birthday, to reach more children. I’ve got til the end of November, but hey, I’ll be 50 for a whole year so let’s see how it goes. My late start is due mostly to fear of failure, but I’m taking the leap.

Like last time, my first step is to ask for help. I hope you will. Here are some ideas:

Make a donation. If just 200 people were willing to contribute $250 each, I [...]

By booksforkeeps|August 18th, 2015|Uncategorized|Comments Off|

Buy Preview Night tickets

BFK Book Sale Preview Night
Get first crack at our amazing selection of used books – thousands of titles priced from 50 cents to $3.

Tickets – for Preview Night only – are $10. All preview night patrons will be entered into a door prize basket that includes autographed copies of books by local authors and a hand-made quilt (for snuggling up with a good book!) Can’t attend but still want to make a donation? Your name will be entered into a drawing for the door prize anyway.

By booksforkeeps|July 24th, 2015|Uncategorized|Comments Off|

Distribution time is here – sign up to volunteer!

It’s that time of year when our hearts swell. It’s like Christmas, and we get to feel like Santa Claus, giving more than 45,000 books away to children all over Athens, Atlanta, and Warrenton.

Join us as we help children select and count their books and record their feedback on our book selection. This is the ultimate volunteer experience! Share in the joy of a books for keeps distribution by signing up to volunteer with us.

No special skills are required; training is provided in the first 10 minutes of each shift – so the most important requirement is to show up on time! Sign up for a shift at handsonnortheastgeorgia.org.

If you are part of a group that would like to adopt an entire shift, please email Leslie Hale to sign them up: leslie.hale@booksforkeeps.org.
*****

OGLETHORPE AVENUE ELEMENTARY
Monday, April 27 – 7:55-11:30 a.m. and 12-1:45 p.m. (p.m. SHIFT FULL)
Tuesday, April 28 – 8:05-10:45 a.m. (a.m. SHIFT FULL) and 10:45 a.m.-1 p.m. (p.m. SHIFT FULL)
…
DOWNTOWN ACADEMY
Monday, April 29 – 9-10:45 a.m.
…
FREEMAN ELEMENTARY – WARRENTON, GA
Thursday, April 30 – 7:55-11 a.m. and 11:10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
…
STROUD ELEMENTARY
Friday, May 1 – 7:45-11:20 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.-2:50 p.m.
…
DUNBAR ELEMENTARY – ATLANTA
Monday, May 4 – 7:55-11:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.-2:40 p.m.
…
ALPS ROAD ELEMENTARY
Tuesday, May 5 – 7:45-11:05 a.m. (a.m. SHIFT FULL) and 12-2:50 p.m. (p.m. SHIFT FULL)
…
GAINES ELEMENTARY
Wednesday, May 6 – 7:55-11:30 a.m. and 12:05-1:50 p.m. (p.m. SHIFT FULL)
Thursday, May 7 – 8-11:35 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.-2:10 p.m.
…
FOWLER DRIVE ELEMENTARY
Monday, May 11 – 7:55-11:05 a.m. and 11:20 a.m.-2:15 p.m.
Tuesday, May 12 – 10:35 a.m.-2 p.m.
…
WINTERVILLE ELEMENTARY
Wednesday, May 13 – 7:55-11:20 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.-2:40 p.m.
…
J.J. HARRIS ELEMENTARY
Thursday, May 14 – 7:45-11:10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.-12:25 p.m.
Friday, May 15 [...]

By booksforkeeps|April 7th, 2015|Uncategorized|Comments Off|

A BFK family’s story

When Trion Brown’s daughter, Z’mia, came bounding home with a tote bag full of books one day after school last spring, she was excited for her daughter, a kindergartener. But, she was also a little apprehensive.

“When I started seeing the princess books, I thought, ‘Oh, Lord, how am I going to afford all of these books?” Trion recalls. “We’re going to have to return these books and it’s going to break her heart.”

Then, Trion read the letter from tucked in with the books. It explained that the books were Z’mia’s to keep – from Books for Keeps. That they would help Z’mia’s brain expand and grow stronger during the summer. And, that every child in Z’mia’s school – all 400 students at Dunbar Elementary in Atlanta – got to pick out 12 books each and take them home, just like Z’mia, thanks to the efforts of Books for Keeps.

“She told me that she had picked them out herself,” Trion says. “She read the titles out to me. I knew that she could read, but I was amazed at how well she could read.”

That night, Trion and Z’mia read together all evening. They read until it was almost time to get up again, Trion jokes.

And then summer came, and Z’mia kept reading.

“This summer, she picked up books more than anything – more than a toy,” she says. “I don’t think her involvement in books would be as much if it weren’t for the books she got in the spring.”

And then fall came. When Z’mia entered the first grade, she received a reading assessment. Z’mia’s teacher was starting the process of putting students into groups according to their reading levels.

“Z’mia blew out all of the reading [...]

By booksforkeeps|November 20th, 2014|Uncategorized|Comments Off|

Bargain-hunting for a cause

Love shopping a good yard sale? Love giving to charity? Wish you could do both at the same time?

Wish no longer!

This Saturday, October 25, a few local families will be hosting yard sales to benefit Books for Keeps. They will be selling off their unwanted items and donating a portion of all proceeds back to Books for Keeps. It’s as simple as that.

This is the first year for this fundraiser, so we have just a couple of yard sales signed up. They will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the following addresses:

125 Wilcox Street, Athens
270 Brookwood Drive, Athens
295 Pebble Creek Drive, Athens

Out of town? Otherwise engaged? No problem! We are inviting folks to use our Facebook event page as a marketplace. Feel free to post items there for sale or peruse the items listed to sell. List anything you wish to sell there through the end of October and follow up by sending BFK a portion of your sale (suggested 20%).

Instructions for Sellers on Facebook:

Please add only one photo per item to keep photo and description linked. You can continue to add different “views” by uploading photos to the comments under the photo.
Please delete items after they sell, or write the word SOLD in the comments section under your photo. Next, just remit your percentage of your sale to BFK either online or via check. Info on how to send us your donation can be found here at our website.

Feel good about the fact that you just lightened the load at your home and supported BFK!

Instructions for Buyers on Facebook:

Send a private message to the seller to arrange a meeting to exchange money for goods. Enjoy your purchase and [...]

By booksforkeeps|October 21st, 2014|How You Can Help|Comments Off|

October Book Drive Month is here!

If you haven’t signed up to host a book drive, it’s not too late!

Hosting a book drive is an easy two-step process:

Place an empty box in your garage or your workplace’s lobby.
Email your co-workers, neighbors, family and friends and let them you’re hosting a book drive for Books for Keeps!

That’s it!

Simple, right?! By hosting a book drive, you’ll help us reach an audience that we’ve never reached before, and it’s a great way for people to do a little spring cleaning in October.

If you, your business, your church, or a civic group you belong to would like to host a book drive, please email Merryn at merrynwalker@yahoo.com to sign up and to receive an electronic copy of book drive poster sign!

*****

While we’re on the topic, we wanted to say THANK YOU to the groups that are currently hosting a book drive for us. We appreciate you!

If you would rather donate books instead, here are the groups that already have book drives underway:

Alpha Beta Gamma-Chi Zeta Chapter at Athens Technical College
Avid Book Club
Beta Club – North Oconee High School
Central Clarke High School
Classic City Lions Club
Delta Zeta
House Electric
The University of Georgia School of Law
Learning Ally
Phi Mu
Phi Sigma Pi
Pi Beta Phi – Alpha Chapter
Total Training Center
Diane K.

By booksforkeeps|October 9th, 2014|Drop-off Locations, How You Can Help|Comments Off|

Class Sponsor Spotlight: Classic City Orthodontics and Athens Lions Club

This is part of a series of blog posts profiling the sponsors that adopt a classroom, a grade level, or an entire school through charitable giving. We couldn’t do what we do without the folks and businesses in the community that step up to ensure that an entire group of children has access to high-quality books all summer long.
***
As a returning class sponsor, Classic City Orthodontics holds a special place in the collective heart of Books for Keeps. When our nonprofit was still young and proving itself in the Athens Community, Dr. Tradd Harter and his practice demonstrated that they believed in what Books for Keeps was trying to build.

Dr. Harter’s practice was also one of the first local businesses to host a book drive benefiting Books for Keeps. Classic City Orthodontics now holds a drive every fall. It has become so much a part of their routine that they remind patients to bring books to donate when making appointment confirmation phone calls.

Classic City Orthodontics does an amazing thing by sponsoring a classroom, ensuring every child in that class will go home with 12 books and a tote bag to carry them. But, the book drives hosted by Classic City Orthodontics are perhaps just as astounding. In the fall of 2013, at both their Athens and Watkinsville locations, Dr. Harter’s practice collected 900 children’s books to benefit Books for Keeps!

Thank you Dr. Harter and staff for your dedication to Books for Keeps!
***
The Athens Lions Club is a first-time class sponsor this year, and we are so very happy to have them on board!

As with so many of our wonderful sponsors, the Lions Club’s commitment to Books for Keeps started with [...]

By booksforkeeps|August 21st, 2014|Sponsor Spotlight, Uncategorized|Comments Off|

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Books for Keeps blog

Join us in welcoming Rachel Watkins to BFK!

Books for Keeps is growing

Throwin’ back to the very beginning

Melaney is setting a BIG goal again…

Buy Preview Night tickets

Distribution time is here – sign up to volunteer!

A BFK family’s story

Bargain-hunting for a cause

October Book Drive Month is here!

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