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October 2024 newsletter

Posted on by Laura Le

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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.”

September 2024 newsletter

Posted on by Laura Le

Sign up here to receive our monthly newsletter in your email!

You’re invited!

We are so excited to partner with the Lake Union Rotary Club for Happy Hour 4 Good! On October 17, you can enjoy wine, microbrews, a casual dinner and live music on the dock while raising funds for Page Ahead! 100% of the net proceeds from this event will go to Page Ahead and help us give EVERY kid the chance to read.

Purchase tickets or learn more information about the event here. 

September is National Literacy Month

September is National Literacy Month, created to bring attention to the literacy crisis facing our country. The United States is ranked 125th out of 194 countries in literacy with only 46% of adults in the United States reading at or above a 6th grade level. In response to this call to action, we want to challenge you to do at least one thing this month to promote literacy in your community. Together, we can increase the literacy rate in our country and work towards a more equitable society. Here are a few suggestions on how you can support literacy for all:

  • Volunteer with Page Ahead (or another literacy organization in your area)
  • Donate books for kids who need them 
  • Support/patronize your local library
  • Become a tutor at your local community center or library
  • Read aloud with children in your life and encourage peers to do the same

Plan a holiday book drive

Hosting a book drive to benefit the kids we serve is a great way for your company, corporate team, or even a group like your book club or your family to celebrate the spirit of giving AND make a difference in the lives of kids all over Washington state. 

Learn more about this great opportunity for giving back during the holidays (or anytime!) on our website or by emailing us!

Fall is workplace giving season

Did you know you can support kids and reading through a payroll deduction? Workplace campaigns allow you to designate Page Ahead as your charity of choice—simply select Page Ahead (a.k.a. Books for Kids) on your giving form our in your corporate giving portal. Page Ahead’s Tax ID is: 91-1600084

We are also happy to come and speak at your company’s campaign kickoff or team meetings. Email us to schedule or learn more!

You can also host a workplace fundraiser or book drive, either in person or online, this fall. Click here for ideas or email us and we will help you plan one!

Farewell to our retiring board members!

We would like to thank our three departing board members for their years of service and dedication to Page Ahead.

Cathy, Molly, and Megan—your time, efforts, and leadership have helped kids all over Washington succeed in reading. Thank you so much for all you have done to help put books in the hands of kids who need them most.

Thank you, Allstate!

We would like to thank The Allstate Foundation and our volunteers from Allstate for empowering people and our community! Our volunteers helped us to receive an Allstate Foundation Helping Hands Grant through various volunteering activities, such as being a book fair helper during Book Up Summer.

The Allstate Foundation supports the causes that Allstate agency owners, financial specialists, and employees care about most by providing Allstate Foundation Helping Hands Grants to nonprofits where they volunteer their time to help communities thrive. 

What we’re reading…

Jack Broom has been a volunteer with Page Ahead for 8 years. He supports Page Ahead in a variety of ways, such as being a Story Time reader for four classrooms and as a freelance photographer! Here’s what he has to say about the book he is currently reading:

“I am currently reading Heavier than Heaven, a biography of Kurt Cobain by longtime Seattle music writer Charles R. Cross. I can’t say I was a great Nirvana fan, but when Cross died in August at 67, his obituaries mentioned this book as a masterpiece, and that drew my curiosity. I’m finding it to be an incredible piece of journalism, shedding light on the world of this brilliant and troubled superstar.”

August 2024 newsletter

Posted on by Laura Le

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We love our volunteers!

Page Ahead volunteers are critical to our ability to reach over 26,000 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. There are so many ways that our volunteers make our programs happen. They sort, shelve, and sticker books, maintain and restock our many Book Oasis libraries, read to kids during Story Time, serve on our committees and Board of Directors, help kids choose their books at Book Up Summer book fairs, and so much more! 

This year, more than 306 volunteers donated over 3,266 hours to Page Ahead to help us give EVERY kid the chance to read. We have the utmost gratitude to each and everyone of them! Thank you volunteers!

And, an extra-special thank you to the winner of the 2024 Sarajane Beal Award for Volunteer Excellence, Sharon Litvinoff!

Sharon has been a volunteer with Page Ahead since 2019, when she began as a Book Up Summer book fair helper at West Seattle Elementary. Since then, Sharon’s role at Page Ahead has blossomed; now serving on our program committee and acting as a table captain for our annual benefit luncheon, while still finding time to continue being a book fair helper.

With Sharon’s incredible online research skills, Page Ahead was connected to new book vendors, helping us lower costs and buy books in over five new world languages. She is also a vocal advocate of Page Ahead programs, spreading the word about us to other community groups she is a part of.

Sharon’s passion for Page Ahead and her many hours of service to all of our programs helps us to support so many schools and children with books and the joy of reading. Thank you, Sharon! You truly make a difference at Page Ahead!

Page Ahead’s impact this year

During the 2023-24 program year, Page Ahead:

  • Provided 26,654 kids with 308,885 new books,
  • Partnered with 167 preschools, elementary schools, and other community organizations,
  • and stocked 19 little free libraries with over 6,000 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.

New Board Members

Page Ahead is excited to introduce the newest members to our Board of Directors! We are looking forward to the coming years with them and their experiences and visions for Page Ahead!

Indrani Bhattacharjee is a Senior Manager, Technology Products and Solutions at Starbucks. She understands that the pathway to having access to professional peer groups starts in early education and childhood literacy. Page Ahead’s mission directly addresses “book deserts” and promotes joyful reading that are key indicators of future success. 

Lydia Islan is a Director of Business Operations at F5, and came to technology via healthcare operations and a stint in management consulting. Lydia has served on the Page Ahead finance committee since 2017, and is excited about the opportunity to join the board for a second term and expand her support of Page Ahead and its important mission.

Holly Koelling has over 25 years of experience working in public libraries in Colorado and Washington state. Following her early retirement, Holly has worked for the Kirkland Arts Center and Leadership Eastside. She believe deeply in equity for all, especially equal access to information and equal opportunity to develop the skills necessary to understand and use that information.

Nicole Lightner is a Director on the Construction Disputes and Advisory (“CD&A”) team at the consulting firm Ankura. Nicole has attended the last four years of luncheons (Covid years notwithstanding), volunteered at Book Up Summer, Book Fairs, and, during Covid, helped Page Ahead books to warehouses and schools

Emily Rondestvedt is currently a Vice President at KidKraft with 14 years experience in developing and executing omni-channel sales strategies for large CPG brands. Emily started volunteering with Page Ahead in late 2022, helping with bookplate packets and supporting book fairs

We also welcome our two new Board Fellows from the University of Washington!

Dilyara Begalykyzy is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration at the University of Washington, with a focus on public policy and civic engagement. She is passionate about economics of development, and she aims to enhance democratic practices globally. Dilyara is dedicated to mentoring students, guiding them through their academic journeys. Besides academics and professional life, she enjoys traveling. In her free time, she engages in creative projects and participates in civic initiatives.

Emily Floyd is in the second year of the Evening MBA program at UW Foster and is thrilled to be a Board Fellow at Page Ahead. Currently the Senior Business Manager for Secret Lair (Magic: The Gathering) at Wizards of the Coast, she has a passion for developing and growing businesses that encourage self expression and creativity through play. In her spare time, Emily performs at Renaissance Faires all over the country.

PACCAR Book Drive at the Mariners

While the Mariners played against the Tampa Bay Rays in their last homestand, Mariners Care and PACCAR hosted a book drive to benefit Page Ahead at T-Mobile Park!

Thank you to all game attendees who participated in our book drive! With your support we will be able to give away over 700 brand new books to kids who need them most!

What we’re reading…

Beth Griffith has been a volunteer with Page Ahead since 2019. Her support of Page Ahead ranges from helping at special events to being a Story Time reader in kindergarten classrooms in Seattle. Here’s what she has to say about a book she recently finished/is currently reading: 

“The book that sticks out for me most recently is Kristin Hannah’s The Women. I read this book with my book club and could not put it down. The story is not just of nurses in the Vietnam War, but the bond between three women of different backgrounds and how they continued to be the glue in each other’s lives after the war.

I learned so much about the Vietnam war and was honestly ashamed that I knew so little. I was 10 when the war ended, but still surprised I hadn’t learned more in school. The loss of lives on both sides was horrific. I was shocked also reading how veterans were treated when they returned from war and especially that women were never acknowledged for their service. 

‘Frankie’, the main character, was motivated to join the war after being told, ‘Women can be heroes too’. The story shared how so many veterans were left to deal with mental health and substance abuse issues without support. The three women in this story were heroes and inspiring examples of giving hope to each other up. They gained strength from each other with their lasting friendship. Women’s contributions weren’t always acknowledged (sometimes still aren’t), but these women worked together to lift each other up. They are strong role models for women and the friendships we form today.”

October 2023 newsletter

Posted on by Stacey Lane

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PACCAR + Mariners = Books for Kids

PACCAR has teamed up with the Seattle Mariners through the RBIs for Literacy program to benefit Page Ahead, and together, they create thousands of reading opportunities for kids in need. Now in its 17th season, this incredible partnership has given over 280,000 books to create home libraries for more than 23,000 kids who need them most. 

And that’s only part of the story.  PACCAR employees also support kids and reading by holding a company-wide book drive and volunteering to read with students. This September they collected 1,836 new books via their book drive. Thank you, PACCAR, for your incredible partnership!

Pictured left to right is PACCAR Foundation executive Ken Hastings, PACCAR Kenworth employee Tera McCormack, Page Ahead executive director Susan Dibble, and Page Ahead board president Mark Fitzgerald.

Fall is workplace giving season

Did you know you can support kids and reading through a payroll deduction? Workplace campaigns allow you to designate Page Ahead as your charity of choice—simply select Page Ahead (aka Books for Kids) on your giving form or in your corporate giving portal. Page Ahead’s Tax ID is: 91-1600084

We are also happy to come speak at any campaign kickoffs or team meetings—just get in touch. Email us!

If you’d like to hold a workplace fundraiser or book drive either online or in person, we can help with that, too!
Click here for ideas or get in touch.

Holiday book shopping

During this giving season, we are delighted our friends at Barnes & Noble are making it extra easy for everyone to get books for everyone on their list AND for the kids Page Ahead serves!

Holiday book drives are on from November 1 to December 8 at multiple Barnes & Nobles around Washington: 

Coming soon: First Tech’s Season of Giving

Our friends at First Tech Federal Credit Union will once again be running their Season of Giving community campaign, and Page Ahead will be in the running for a $10,000 grant! Voting opens November 1, so stay tuned—your vote could make the difference for Page Ahead and the kids we serve!

If you think Page Ahead is a great nonprofit, let us know!

GreatNonprofits—a review site like TripAdvisor—is honoring highly reviewed nonprofits with their 2023 Top-Rated Awards. Your review of your experience being part of the Page Ahead community will help us raise visibility (and funds from more supporters!). It’s easy and will take just two minutes. Go to our page on GreatNonprofits.org to get started!

The students love their new books!

Here are a few thank you notes from students across Washington State:

“Dear Donors, Thanks for giving us money for the books we love you. I really can’t wait to read it. Your friend Salem” Leschi Elementary, Seattle

“I love my books. I will read the books every day. I will make my own little reading room. I love picture books. I love books because books help me learn new things. I am going to read the books to my family. Thank you for the books, Stephanie”
Edison Elementary, Tacoma

“Dear Donors: I am thankful for getting the 12 free books. First, when I saw them, I was in shock because I said in my mind that I will read them over and over again. Next, when I am an adult I will read them to my kids. Also, my kids will love the books you gave me when I’m an adult. Respectfully, London” Little Mountain Elementary, Mount Vernon

“Dear Donors, Thank you for the 12 books I can’t waint to read them forever! I am so Happy! From, Hanif  I LOVE BOOKS!” Seahurst Elementary, Burien

September 2023 newsletter

Posted on by Stacey Lane

Sign up here to receive our monthly newsletter in your email!

We Celebrate literacy month at local HPB bookstores

There’s still time! This month, join Half Price Books in helping local kids in need get the chance to read.

Shop at Half Price Books in September to support Page Ahead! Donate your change to make change in your community. Give at the coin box located at the registers at your local Half Price Books stores.

Shop for a cause

Do you shop at Fred Meyer or QFC? In one easy step you can link your rewards card to Page Ahead and support children’s literacy in our region. Our code is RA365. Sign up here!

Welcome, new board members!

Page Ahead welcomes Kartik Kanakasabesanand and Rudmila Rahmanto our board of directors

Kartik Kanakasabesan is a Principal PM Manager at Microsoft where he has worked at since moving to Seattle in 2016. Kartik has an MBA from the University of Toronto. Kartik has had an international upbringing throughout his childhood and adulthood. Throughout his life he has lived in different countries around the world. He has seen first-hand how proper nutrition and reading skills can impact a child’s trajectory in life in a positive way. Kartik understands the importance of being a part of and serving the community around him. 

Rudmila Rahman is currently at Amazon on the Corporate Development team where her role involves leading partnerships and investments to provide new financial products to customers and sellers on Amazon.com. Prior to this role, she held leadership roles in corporate strategy, M&A and partnerships teams at both F500 companies like Barclays Bank and MetLife, and also a fintech startup OnDeck Capital. She began her career at The World Bank working in development economics and financing in South Asia. Having been raised by parents who are educators with a household full of books, Rudmila is passionate about childrens’ education and equity. She is excited by Page Ahead’s approach and dedication to making reading so accessible!

We would also like to thank our dedicated departing board member: 

Daniel Frankel for his years of service.

Your time, efforts, and leadership helped kids in need to succeed in their academic endeavors.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!

What your support makes possible: preschool reading

This week we began shipping hundreds of copies of Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, Lola Reads to Leo, and Please, Mr. Panda to our preschool partner sites as part of our Story Leaders program. Teachers read each book using shared-reading techniques we train them in, and kids get copies of each book to take home! Learn more here.

Plan a holiday book drive

Thank you to our friends at Stryker who held an amazing book drive last year—and are at it again this year!

Hosting a book drive to benefit the kids Page Ahead serves is a great way for your company, corporate team, or even a group like an extended family or book club to celebrate the spirit of giving AND make a difference in a child’s life. 

Learn more about this great opportunity for giving back during the holidays—or anytime!—here.

Or, to make it even easier: Contact us!