Tag: Ballard

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Join us for lunch!

You are invited! Please join us for lunch on Wednesday, April 29 to imagine what’s possible when every child has books. A Taste for Reading pairs a delicious lunch with an inspiring program, including a special performance from some of our students who want to share a story with you! Choose how you would like to be involved and we’ll see you there.

• Would you like to attend and bring some friends? Sign up to be a table captain here!
• Contact us to learn more about how your company can be a luncheon sponsor

Historic Milestone for Page Ahead

Since 1990, our mission has been to get books into the hands of kids who need them most. Because of your partnership over the last 30+ years, we will be giving away our five millionth book on March 5th at Rising Star Elementary!!

The five millionth book is part of our Story Leaders spring distribution. The preschool students at Rising Star will be receiving their copies of Jabari Tries by Gaia Cornwall on stage at an all school assembly to celebrate this historic milestone.

Thank you, for all your support in giving EVERY kid the chance to read and helping us accomplish this amazing feat.

Black History Month

This Black History Month, we encourage you and your young readers to read books that celebrate Black joy and achievement. There are so many great stories to choose from, for all ages, that amplify and highlight the Black experience.

All the Blues in the Sky by Renee Watson is a great example. The Newbery Award winner this year, All the Blues in the Sky  discusses grief in an accessible and engaging way. This story is about a young girl’s journey to heal, grow, and forgive herself. 

For more ideas of stories to share with young readers in your life, browse this list of kids’ books that celebrate Black lives, history, and joy.

Books are a powerful medium for representation and we hope that you and your loved ones celebrate Black History Month by reading together. 

What we’re reading…

Linda Hintz volunteers with Page Ahead as the other half of the dynamic duo that manages and maintains our Story Time crafts and kits. This past year, she was awarded the Sarajane Beal Award for Volunteer Excellence. You can read more about Linda’s contributions to Page Ahead. Here’s what she has to say about the books she’s currently reading:

“I am reading—actually listening on Audible—to The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown. It is very long! My 23-year-old granddaughter recommended it to me after she read it and said, ‘definitely worth reading—I don’t say that about too many books.’ I have read a couple of his other books so I knew what I was in for. I like the short chapters that often shift from one character to another, so there are several story lines going at the same time. I like the science in the book even though I don’t understand all of it and some of it is futuristic. My lighter reading at bedtime is The Secret, Book and Scone Society by Ellery Adams. Maybe one of these books/authors will be interesting to you!”

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Save the date: our annual benefit luncheon for children’s literacy

It’s hard to believe, but spring is quickly approaching and this mean 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 29, 2026 at the King Street Ballroom!

• Would you like to attend and bring some friends? Sign up to be a table captain here!
• Contact us to learn more about how your company can be a luncheon sponsor

RSVP Today!

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 four entire schools!

Trilogy for Kids, thank you for helping ensure that every child has the opportunity to discover the joy of reading.

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 enough to meet our matching goal more than five times over. 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 you.

Thank you for building home libraries with us.

Your holiday generosity means more kids get books!

At Page Ahead, the holidays are less about shopping lists and more about reading lists. And you, our amazing community, showed up in a big way this season, donating more than 3,000 brand-new books through holiday book drives!

That’s 3,000 chances for kids to unwrap a story of their own and start building a home library they’ll treasure. A huge thank-you to every group who participated–and extra applause for Barnes & Noble, Secret Garden Books, and the Eastside Welcome Club for spreading the most book joy this season.

What we’re reading…

Nance Daiker volunteers with Page Ahead as one-half of the dynamic duo that manage and maintains our Story Time crafts and kits. This past year, she was awarded the Sarajane Beal Award for Volunteer Excellence. You can read more about Nance’s contributions to Page Ahead. Here’s what Nance has to say about her January reading:

“After the holiday, I usually enjoy reading mysteries. Favorite authors are Louise Penny, Robert Galbraith, and Richard Osman. I’ve just finished The Impossible Fortune by Osman. Currently visiting Three Pines via Penny’s The Black Wolf and looking forward to the next book in my stash, The Hallmarked Man by Galbraith. I enjoy the different approaches that each of these authors employ in solving the mysteries they encounter. A good mystery and a cup of tea in front of the fireplace, ahhh such joy. Now if I were only sitting in a cottage in England.”

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We did it!

To kick off this year’s holiday season–and the season of giving overall–you, our phenomenal supporters, showed up for us.

We’re thrilled to share that we met–and exceeded–our GivingTuesday matching challenge! This year, our generous sponsors, The Schreiber Family Foundation, provided $10,000 in matching funds for all GivingTuesday gifts. With your support, we surpassed our goal, raising over $20,000 to spend on home libraries for kids who need them most.

Your generosity and efforts are what make our work possible. From all of us at Page Ahead: thank you for championing children’s literacy and helping us open the door to a brighter future for young readers.

What your support makes possible: preschool reading

We recently shipped copies of Jabari Tries; Augustus and His Smile; and, Not Norman to 1,700 preschoolers across Washington as part of our Story Leaders program. Teachers read each book using the shared-reading techniques we train them in, and kids get copies of each book take home! Learn more here.

Every child deserves new books

Books are the most important tool for learning–and one of life’s greatest pleasures. No child should grow up without new books in their homes. With your help, they won’t have to.

Please make a gift today. Students like Noa are counting on you!

“Thank you for my new book. I am excited to read this summer. These books are special to me because I don’t have books at home.”

Your tax-deductible gift by December 31, will help us say ‘Yes!’ to even more kids in 2026. Thank you for making a difference!

All of us at Page Ahead send warm holiday wishes to you–our heroes!

This holiday season, we extend our heartfelt thanks to you–our incredible community of supporters. Your advocacy, financial support, and volunteer efforts have brought the joy of choosing new books and building home libraries to thousands of kids across Washington.

What a wonderful gift you’ve given–thank you!

What we’re reading…

Pat Gentino is a Page Ahead volunteer who supports Page Ahead as a book fair helper, office volunteer, and special events volunteer! Here’s what she has to say about a book she recently finished:

“I just finished the book, Kuleana, by Sara Kehaulani Goo. This nonfiction book is about 90 acres of land, on the east side of Maui, that was handed down to her family in 1848 by King Kamehameha III. When a property tax bill arrives that is a 500% increase, the family needs to decide whether to fight the bill to keep the land, or sell to a millionaire outsider. Sara travels from the mainland to reconnect with family still living there and learn more about the history of the land.”

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Mark your calendars for Giving Tuesday!

Mark your calendars for December 2—it’s GivingTuesday!

This year a generous supporter, The Schreiber Family Foundation, has pledged to match all GivingTuesday donations, up to $10,000. That means every dollar you give will be doubled to help us bring Book Up Summer to two schools that might not otherwise be able to participate.

Together, we can give hundreds of kids the power of books and the confidence that comes with being a strong reader.

Phinney Holiday Bookfest

The Phinney Holiday Bookfest will take place on Saturday 11/22 at the Phinney Center from 2pm – 4pm. 

Holiday Bookfest is an annual Seattle tradition on Phinney Ridge each November for book gift shopping, meeting and mingling with local authors who will sign your books, and donating to local literacy causes. 

Donations to Page Ahead will be collected at the event! Come join us for us a fun afternoon in Phinney where you can meet local authors and get some new books for yourself and for kids in Washington.

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 now – December 15, shop at these Barnes and Noble locations for an easy way to support Page Ahead:

• B&N Northgate
• B&N University District
• B&N Bellevue Crossroads
• B&N Bellevue Square
• B&N Lakewood
• B&N Northtown Mall

Calling all Future Engineers!

Encourage any high school seniors in your life to apply to the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship program. The Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship provides high school seniors with up to $40,000 for college plus internship opportunities at Amazon.

Selected students will study computer science while gaining real-world tech experience. Beyond financial support, scholars join a community that provides ongoing mentorship, networking opportunities, and career guidance throughout their academic journey.

Key info at-a-glance:

• Applications are open now! Deadline to apply is January 15, 2026
• Up to $40,000 in scholarship funds
• Summer internship opportunity at Amazon

Eligible students must plan to:

• Major in computer science
• Attend an accredited 4-year college or 2-year college with plans to transfer
• Additional eligibility requirements at amazonfutureengineer.com/scholarships

Know a student who might be interested? Share this opportunity with them and their families!

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.

Reading Events

What a fun start to the school year it’s been! We’ve had such a wonderful time with our volunteers and students at reading events.

Volunteers from the Page Ahead community, EY, and First Tech spent 62 hours reading to 184 first graders at 3 different elementary schools.

We are incredibly thankful to our volunteers for inspiring a love of reading in the children in our community.

Ballard GivesBack

This Black Friday weekend, Nov 28th – 30th, shop at Secret Garden Books in Ballard and get great deals on books and gifts for all ages.

Each year, businesses in the Ballard Business Alliance select a charity to support as part of Ballard Gives Back, and our partners at Secret Garden have chosen Page Ahead as their designated charity! A percentage of the proceeds will benefit Page Ahead and help give new books to kids who need them most this holiday season.

What we’re reading…

Sophia Padua has been volunteering with Page Ahead since 2023 as a special events volunteer. You can often find Sophia at tabling events in the community raising awareness and advocating for children’s literacy. Here’s what she has to say about Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.

“I just finished reading Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. His shows “No Reservations” and “Parts Unknown” were huge staples growing up in my family’s household. I always thought he was a wonderful storyteller, piecing together his adventures for people to experience from their own homes. Reading Kitchen Confidential was an opportunity to start from the beginning of his career. His voice comes through on every page, and if you were a fan of his, I can’t recommend it enough!”

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We love our volunteers!

Page Ahead volunteers are vital to our ability to reach over 30,000 young readers all across the state. We are so grateful for their help in putting brand new books in the hands of kids who need them most. Volunteers make our programs possible in countless ways: sorting, shelving, and stickering books; maintaining and restocking our Book Oasis libraries; reading with children during Story Time; serving on our committees and Board of Directors; helping kids choose books at Book Up Summer book fairs—and so much more! 

This year, over 500 volunteers gave more than 3,565 hours to ensure EVERY child has the chance to read. We are profoundly thankful to each and every one of them. Thank you, volunteers—you make the magic happen!

And,  an extra-special thank you to the winners of the 2025 Sarajane Beal Award for Volunteer Excellence, Nance Daiker and Linda Hintz!

Nance and Linda began volunteering for Page Ahead in July of 2021 as weekly office volunteers in the Story Time craft center. In preparation for the return of in-person Story Times for the 2021 school year, Nance and Linda quickly began creating new craft kits. They reorganized all the resources for Story Time crafts and over the last 4 years have transformed the craft replenishment process to be much more streamlined and efficient.

This past year has been extra special: Nance and Linda have put in a combined total of over 375 volunteer hours! This is especially impressive considering that Linda was out for a few months recovering from surgery. But, that never slowed them down from replenishing over 440 Story Time craft kits and assembling over 500 craft kits for summer story times at Ballard and High Point. These craft kit totals translate into support for over 1,400 students in our Story Time program. Nance and Linda also delivered over 700 books to their 2 Book Oases this past year, keeping the neighborhoods near Olympic Hills Elementary School and ReWA in Lake City supplied with high-quality children’s books. These two are an amazing team!

Linda and Nance’s passion for Page Ahead, and their many hours of service to all of our programs, help us bring books and the joy of reading to countless schools and children.

Thank you, Nance and Linda! You truly make a difference at Page Ahead!

Community Book Drive at the Mariners

On Tuesday, August 26, while the Mariners played against the San Diego Padres, Mariners Care and PACCAR hosted a book drive to benefit Page Ahead at T-Mobile Park.

Thank you to our volunteers who helped us at the game! Their passion for literacy was the real MVP, helping us smash our Mariners Book Drive record. With their support, we will be able to give away over 1,100 new books to kids who need them most!

Page Ahead’s impact this year

During the 2024 – 25 program year, Page Ahead:

• Provided 30,0005 kids with 325,141 new books
• Partnered with 175 preschools, elementary schools, and other community organizations
• and stocked 19 little free libraries with over 6,300 books!

We extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who was a part of this journey—it takes many people to make this work possible.

Join our new committee!

We are starting a new committee! Our Social Media/Marketing committee will focus on building strategy, generating content, and discussing metrics/impact. With an increasing need to grow our social media presence, we have decided that the most effective way to expand Page Ahead’s social media presence is to create a committee of dedicated volunteers to help us shine and beat the algorithm. 

Meetings will begin in the fall and will take place monthly from 6pm – 7pm. Meeting dates are still TBD and will be dependent on the interest and availability of interested community members. 

Roles available are:

• Content Planner
• Content Creator
• Community Ambassador
• Analyst
• Content Librarian

Each role is anticipated to have about 2-4 hours of work outside of the monthly meetings!

If you’re interested in joining or learning more, please contact Laura.

What we’re reading…

Kim Ferse has been a Page Ahead volunteer since 2017. Her volunteer tenure has spanned many projects. She was an instrumental part of the Book Oasis project through her work with vendors, hosts, and community members. She also works as a summer story time reader and is working on a project to create labels for guiding questions for each of our Story Time books. In her free time, Kim is a playwright and an avid tennis player. 

Here’s what she has to say about the books she is reading: “My 2025 summer reading list is a story of apples and oranges! I am currently reading two books: First is Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe, which I picked up after hearing an NPR interview with the author. I didn’t know anything about the history of the IRA, and I love true stories that read like fiction! The other book I’m reading right now is The Losers Club by Andrew Clements. I am co-reading this middle-grade chapter book aloud over Zoom a half-hour at a time over the summer with Saryn, a 9-year-old girl from New Jersey, as part of a program called “ARK” (Actors Reading with Kids). We’re taking turns reading pages, and it’s silly fun!”