October 2024 newsletter

Page Ahead updates, holiday giving, and more!

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Vote for Page Ahead!

It’s voting season, everybody! But this is one we can ALL agree on—Page Ahead is in the running to win a $10,000 grant from First Tech Federal Credit Union as part of their Season of Giving… and we need YOUR nomination! 

The 5 nonprofit organizations with the most write-in nominations will receive $10,000!

Nominations open November 1 (Friday!) and close November 30. Mark your calendar to Nominate Page Ahead, and tell your friends, family, and colleagues to do the same. Your nomination can help us give 3,100 new books to kids who need them most!


Happy Hour for Good

This month, Page Ahead was honored to be the beneficiary of Happy Hour for Good hosted by the Rotary Club of Lake Union. The program was filled with a lovely testimony from one of our school partners, a lively silent auction and raffle, delicious food and drink, and even better company!

The event was a resounding success; Page Ahead will be able to provide over 700 brand-new books to kids who need them thanks to the support of our community members and, especially, our friends from Rotary. Thank you!


Holiday Book Shopping

During this giving season, we are so grateful to partner with our friends at Barnes & Noble again this year for their holiday book drives. They have made it extra easy for you to buy books for everyone on your list AND for the kids Page Ahead serves. 

From November 1 – December 19, shop at these Barnes and Noble locations for an easy way to support Page Ahead:

B&N Spokane Valley

B&N Northgate

B&N Bellevue Crossroads

B&N Lakewood

B&N Northtown Mall


Welcome, Debra!

We are thrilled to introduce the newest member to the Page Ahead team, Debra Carnegie! As our Development Manager, Debra is excited to bring her skills and passion for literacy to Page Ahead.

Hello, I’m Debra! I graduated with a BA in Professional Writing from Carnegie Mellon University and started my career as a technical and marketing writer in the tech industry, working for both large corporations and small startups. After taking a pause to be with my two boys, I next worked as the Program Director for a literary events company, where I worked with both publishers and corporate clients to organize private author events. After the pandemic, I consulted as a writer with local nonprofit organizations focused on Child and Family Services. I also worked as a paraprofessional in Seattle elementary schools, where I loved helping younger children develop their reading and writing skills. I’m excited to join the team at Page Ahead and to meet and work with all of our wonderful supporters!


Celebrate different heritages through reading

As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to an end and Native American Heritage Month begins, we encourage you to celebrate different cultures through reading!

You can find books on our Bookshop.org page that highlight Hispanic and Indigenous authors, stories, and their cultures.


Microsoft Give

This October, Microsoft employees nationwide come together for a month of giving. We are so grateful for the Microsoft employees who signed up to volunteer with us, both virtually and in-person! Thank you, Microsoft for creating a powerful vehicle for staff to support causes and organizations they care about.

And if you are a Microsoft employee: it’s not too late to choose to support Page Ahead through workplace giving. You can find us on Benevity!


What we’re reading…

This month’s book to consider comes from Arden Leland, the President of Page Ahead’s Board of Directors. Since joining the board in 2020, Arden has been a strong advocate for Page Ahead and our programs.

“I just finished a book called The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard. Not a book I would normally reach for (I’m a mystery reader at heart) but I was pleasantly surprised by the slow burn of this book! The Valley to the East exists 20-years ahead in time, and the Valley to the West exists 20-years behind in time. Odile, our sixteen-year old main character, lives in the middle valley which exists in ‘present time’. Her world is rocked as tragedy befalls her only friend, and her life as she knows it (and as the other valleys know it) has been altered forever. I loved the exploration of time travel, and Odile’s struggle with the sense of duty to the rules which keep each of these Valleys in balance.”

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