Giving Tuesday – Book Edition

Good Morning Loves,

I’m still taking a break from the blog until the semester is over, but today is too important of a day to not post something.

Today is “Giving Tuesday” – a day centered on giving back.

Now that the sales are over and most of the shopping done to some extent, it’s time to get into the “giving” mindset. #GivingTuesday is a great way to launch into the “giving” season.

This past month, hell this past year, makes today an even more important event. While my blog post will be focusing on literacy & writing nonprofits, I urge you to send money to organizations that align with your passions, especially those organizations that assist the marginalized as they are going to need our support more and more in the coming years (especially in the U.S.).

With that said, here are some non-profits focused on literacy, books or writing:

1. We Need Diverse Books

This organization will always be on the top of my list because I love its mission–“putting more books featuring diverse characters into the hands of all children” (source). Its existence is so important in a publishing world that lacks diversity. The organization currently offers a Walter Dean Myers Award and Grant for “up-and-coming, unpublished diverse authors and illustrators who require financial support in order to help them achieve their goal of publication” (source) as well as a WNDB Internship Grant for “students from diverse backgrounds…who wish to pursue a career in children’s publishing” (source). This year, WNDB also launched a mentorship program that you can read about here.  Today only, the Andrea Brown Literary Agency will be matching donations. You can give here.

2. WriteGirl

This organization is based in Los Angeles and focuses on creative writing and mentoring for young girls and young women. WriteGirl “match[es] girls with women writers who mentor them in creative writing” (source). The organization has a “community with 200 volunteer women writers serving more than 500 girls annually” (source). The organization also publishes anthologies “that showcase the bold voices and imaginative insights of teen girls and their WriterGirl mentors” (source). I really love this organization because it helps inspire young writers who might not have had their creative voice heard or cultivated. You can donate here.

3. First Book

First Book is an organization I learned about while working at my local Barnes and Noble. We had a representative come from the organization and explain what they do and their impact on kids. Then Barnes and Noble encouraged us to ask customers to donate a book which we then collected for this organization. First Book “is a nonprofit social enterprise that provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to children in need” (source). According to their website, “97% of First Book’s revenue goes directly to providing new books, educational resource and other essentials to kids in need” (source). The nonprofit have two distribution models that are accessible for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year: First Book Marketplace and First Book National Book Bank (source). You can donate here.

4. United Through Reading

This nonprofit is new to me this year. I came across it in an article about nonprofits and found that it really spoke it me. I’m biased when it comes to any organization having to do with vets or the armed forces. My grandfather was a Marine and he never let me forget it. We were really close and I try to honor him by honoring our vets and current military. This nonprofit is “dedicated to uniting U.S. military families who face physical separation by facilitating the bonding experience of reading aloud together” (source). The organization “offers military service members the opportunity to be video-recorded reading books to their children at home” (source). The nonprofit recently won the 2016 Community Service Hero Award and they list out some great reasons for why there is a need for their organization here. You can donate here.

5. Libraries

Okay so this one is way biased and might require some more effort on your part. I’m currently getting my masters in library and information science to become a children’s or youth services librarian. During my course work (as well as from personal experience) I’ve really had my eyes opened to how much a library does for a community. Whether it be offering a way for incarcerated parents to read with their kids, staying open during painful and sometimes violent times, to offering coding classes for girls, libraries provide an array of services to the community all for free. Yes libraries have their issues and not every library is stellar and we definitely have our diversity issues in the profession, but I believe in the power of libraries and the idea of access to and for all. I believe that the library has the power to support a community and help make that community better through its support. Libraries are not just about books (although that is a major plus in my opinion). They’re about giving access to technology, opening up space for people to meet, encouraging (and even developing) early literacy skills, offering a safe environment for all, and being there for and when its patrons need it. So with the constant cut in government funding to libraries and Paul Ryan’s seeming lack of support towards libraries, I’d encourage you to think about your local library or a library you love and consider donating to them on this day. New York Public Library is offering book plates as a way to donate to the library, as an example.

Apart from those 5 organizations above, The Huffington Post released a great article listing some other fabulous book related organizations you can check out to donate towards.

I’m also personally invested in the Animal Rescue League of Boston (where I adopted my kitty), the Alzheimer’s Association (which I raised money for back in September during their Walk to End Alzheimer’s event) and the American Cancer Society.

There are just so many organizations out there doing wonderful things for people (and animals). I sincerely wish I could donate to all of them! While this list is specific to a certain topic, as I said above, go out and donate to a cause you’re passionate about! If you have any recommendations, feel free to leave them below or to link to your post!

Thanks!

As always,

Happy Reading!