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Your holiday generosity means more kids get books!
Holiday season at Page Ahead is more like book drive season! Since Thanksgiving 2024, we have been the grateful beneficiaries of 12 book drives! From community groups like book clubs and small businesses to larger company drives, we are excited to announce that we have received over 4,000 new books!
These books will find new homes in a child’s home library thanks to everyone who participated. We want to especially thank Barnes & Noble, Secret Garden Books, and the Eastside Welcome Club for contributing the most books to us.
Thank you for giving!
The season of giving is a way for people to show their loved ones and their communities that they care about them. This year, you all raised a record-breaking amount to help us continue our programs. With more than $20,000 raised this year than last, we are so grateful for everyone who supports Page Ahead in any way that they can. Children all over Washington will be able to bolster their reading skills, gain confidence, and succeed in all aspects of their lives because of those who gave.
Thank you for building home libraries with us.
Donor spotlight: Ken Jones
“Shouldn’t all kids have the opportunity to fall in love with books?”
Ken Jones, a longtime supporter of Page Ahead asked this question while talking to Page Ahead about why he is passionate about children’s literacy.
Ken grew up in Los Angeles, CA; with professors as parents, he was always surrounded by books. One of 6 kids, he remembers fondly their trips to the library, even before he was old enough for his own library card. He and his siblings would all check out books together, maxing out each library card they shared between them. Each night, his mom would read books out loud in the living room to anyone who wanted to sit and listen. She would read all types of books, from the Lord of the Rings series to My Father’s Dragon.
As his career progressed, Ken began looking for an organization to support—one that focused on helping kids develop a love for reading. He turned to his older sister, who was working for the Sno-Isle Libraries at the time, for recommendations. Among the options she shared, he was deeply moved by Page Ahead’s mission. The organization’s goal—to provide all children with new, self-selected books that they can keep forever—resonated with him, as it empowers kids to shape their lives and futures through literacy.
Ken’s passionate recounting of his childhood was motivating. He ended our conversation with this message: if there is even one kid who completes Page Ahead’s programs who now has a love of reading and wants to read for pleasure, as their hobby, he will feel that his support was all worth it.
Thank you to Ken, and his wife Karen, for their unwavering support of literacy for kids everywhere.
Save the date: our annual benefit luncheon for children’s literacy
It’s hard to believe, but spring is quickly approaching which means it’s time for our annual benefit luncheon for children’s literacy, A Taste for Reading! We’d love for you to join us for an inspiring hour about how you are making a difference in a child’s life with books.
See you on April 30, 2025 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel!
Would you like to attend and bring some friends? Sign up to be a table captain here!
You can RSVP for the event by clicking here!
Learn more about how your company can sponsor the luncheon by emailing Development Manager, Debra Carnegie, at dcarnegie@pageahead.org
Volunteer with the Seattle Kraken
We are excited to announce a fun new way that you can support Page Ahead: volunteering at Seattle Kraken games!
Volunteer tasks will include working concessions stands, assisting with self-check-out kiosks, and monitoring Amazon “Just-Walk-Out” shops.
Page Ahead will receive $100+ for each volunteer who helps at a game this season. Volunteers must be comfortable standing for hours at a time.
Email Laura at lle@pageahead.org if you’re interested or have any questions.
Thank you, Trilogy for Kids!
Trilogy for Kids is a dedicated champion of literacy and an enthusiastic supporter of Page Ahead’s mission. Their involvement takes many forms–they serve as book fair helpers, organize book drives, and generously donate through the Trilogy for Kids Foundation, to name a few. Thanks to their incredible support and generous gift this year, Page Ahead will be able to purchase books for three entire schools!
Trilogy for Kids, thank you for helping ensure that every child has the opportunity to discover the joy of reading.
What we’re reading…
Debra Carnegie, Page Ahead’s Development Manager, took a stab at a new genre this month! Here’s what she has to say:
“Although mysteries aren’t usually my go-to genre, I’d heard great things about Chris Whitaker’s All the Colors of the Dark and decided to download it to my Kindle for some holiday reading. This book turned out to be an engaging and unforgettable read.
Set in a small Missouri town in the 1970s, the story begins when a teenage girl, Misty, is abducted. A boy named Patch saves her but is taken instead. The story then follows Misty, Patch, and his loyal friend Saint, who refuses to give up the search for him. While the plot includes plenty of mystery and twists, it’s also a deeply moving exploration of trauma, love, friendship, and the power of art.
Whitaker does an amazing job bringing the characters and story to life. The book has stuck with me even weeks after I finished it, and I can’t recommend it enough. If you’re into mysteries or just love a good story with heart, give All the Colors of the Dark a try—you won’t be disappointed!”
