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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

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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.”

July 2024 newsletter

Posted on by Laura Le

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RBIs for Literacy

For the last 18 years, PACCAR has partnered with the Seattle Mariners to make sure ALL kids in our community have access to books and reading. RBIs for Literacy is an extremely fun partnership that has helped Page Ahead purchase hundreds of thousands of new books for kids here in Washington state. 

While PACCAR is mainly known for their trucks, they also have a passion for education! And so does their whole organization! Right now, PACCAR employees are gearing up for their annual workplace book drives, which have contributed over 40,000 books to Page Ahead. Thank you to all our friends at PACCAR, for supporting kids and reading!

Community Book Drive at the Mariners

On Tuesday, August 27, while the Mariners play against the Tampa Bay Rays, Mariners Care and PACCAR will be hosting a book drive to benefit Page Ahead at T-Mobile Park!

Heading to the game? Stop by to see us and make a donation at the following locations:

  • Home Plate and Left Field gates
  • Center Field entrance
  • Parking Plaza
  • Section 128
  • Or you can text BOOKS to 707070

All donations will benefit Page Ahead and put books in the hands of kids who need them most.

We’re Hiring!

Blue background with cartoon graphic of a megaphone. White colored text reads we're hiring!

We are looking for the newest member of our team to join us as Page Ahead’s Development Manager! If you, or someone you know, are excited about the idea of helping all children become strong readers and would enjoy engaging others to support students, this position might be the right fit! 

Learn more about the position here. 

Page Ahead’s Local Business Partners

Old Stove Brewing: You can join us at Old Stove Gardens on Tuesday, August 20 as part of their Giving in the Gardens promotion! Page Ahead will have a table there and $1 from every beer/cider purchased will be donated to us! 

Buffalo Exchange: When you shop at Buffalo Exchange’s Ballard location, you have the option to support Page Ahead through their Tokens for Bags program! Instead of a plastic bag, Buffalo Exchange will offer every customer who makes a purchase one “token” valued at five cents (the cost to produce a bag) to donate to one of several local charities selected by the store. 

Thank You Nordstrom!

Our partners at Nordstrom have been steadfast in their support of children’s literacy. We are excited to announce that their latest grant will allow Page Ahead to buy books to support an entire school! 

Thank you, Nordstrom, for your consistent partnership—from grant awards to supporting your employees volunteering with us, we have so much gratitude for all that you do to put books in the hands of kids who need them most.

What we’re reading…

Michelle Schaefer is one of Page Ahead’s weekly office volunteers, helping us with our databases. She is passionate about poetry, running, and reading! Here’s what she has to say about a book she recently finished reading: 

“I recently read When Women Were Dragons, a novel written by Kelly Barnhill. This book is a post-feminist take on the feminist movement in 1955.

Kelly’s imaginative flare and creative writing style transforms women into fierce dragons that must either leave or incorporate themselves into a world of misogyny and misunderstanding. Through humorous and sometimes tragic characters we can look at aspects of feminism and gender issues via fantasy and surrealism. I found the book to be an enjoyable and memorable read. Whether you agree or disagree with the content Kelly definitely leaves you with something to think about.”

June 2024 newsletter

Posted on by Laura Le

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All Booked Up for Summer (Reading)!

22,000 students have gone home with 12 brand new books for their home library after participating in Book Up Summer! We could not have done this without the support from all of our volunteers. Over 160 volunteers spent their time (560 hours!) helping at every single step of the process, from doing inventory to helping the kids put their nameplate stickers inside each of their books. We are so incredibly grateful for everyone who spent their time with us and the students. Book Up Summer was possible thanks to every one of you! Kids across Washington can now spend the summer reading to their heart’s content. 

This year, Book Up Summer was in 122 different schools, where students selected 283,000 books that they took home to build their home libraries.

Book Up Summer helps prevent the summer slide. The summer slide refers to students who lose some of the skills they learned and worked on over their summer vacation. When students go home with 12 brand new books, that they have self-selected, they will be able to practice and work on reading in a way that is exciting and enjoyable to them.

Thank You First Tech Federal Credit Union!

Thank you so much to our partners at First Tech Federal Credit Union for supporting Page Ahead with another grant this year! Their support is instrumental in operating our programs, such as Book Up Summer, and getting books to all kids who need them!

We are so grateful for the continued partnership and support of First Tech and all that they do to create greater access to early childhood literacy for all.

Summer Story Times – Ballard Locks

Happy Summer Vacation! If you have a young reader in your life, we encourage you to join us at the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens at the Ballard Locks for a summer story time session!

Story Times will take place from June 27th – August 29th every Thursday from 11am – 12pm. We hope to see you there!

Bryant Elementary Book Drive

This month, the 5th graders at Bryant Elementary in north Seattle hosted a book drive for us! The theme of their book drive was “We Care, We Share” and they encouraged other students and their community to donate to Page Ahead. And what a job they did! Check out this creative video they recorded to educate their school community. Thanks to these amazing efforts, they were able to collect and donate nearly 400 books and $440!

We are so excited to see the next generation of readers advocate for their peers through caring and sharing! Thank you Bryant Hawks for helping your peers get brand new books.

What we’re reading…

Here’s what Diane Koontz, Page Ahead’s longest serving volunteer has to say about Life Safari by John Strelecky, a book she just recently finished after taking a month long safari trip to the African continent:

“This short book was a wonderful read. I have been entranced with the sights, the people and the landscapes of Africa since I got to go on safari there. Life Safari is about Jack, a young man struggling to find his place in life, who goes on a journey to Africa. As he meets people along the way and experiences the beauty of the land and the wildlife he finds both physical and mental changes transforming his view of himself and the world. He travels by foot with a wise African woman named Ma Ma Gombe who is on a journey of her own. She is seeking a fabled destination she was told of as a child—’a place where you can see the earth be born, and then watch the world go to sleep, a place so beautiful that words cannot describe it.’

I found this story to be very satisfying…a reminder that yes, you can find more quiet and joy and potential even in our current hustle-bustle world.”

May 2024 newsletter

Posted on by Laura Le

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It’s time for Book Up Summer!

The Page Ahead book fairs have begun! Through the end of June, more than 22,000 children across Washington will select their twelve brand-new books to keep and read over the summer. The Book Up Summer program gives these young students the tools and incentive they need to read during summer vacation. If you’d like to help kids select books at a book fair, sign up for shifts here (registration required if new user) or email Laura to sign up your group or company!

This year, schools received additional shipments of books highly requested by both students and their families!  To better support multilingual learners, for the first time schools received extra books in multiple world languages, including Vietnamese, Russian, Pashto, and Somali. In addition, copies of Dogman: Grime and Punishment were distributed to all schools with participating 2nd graders. Thank you to our amazing community for providing the support we need to expand Book Up Summer and provide home libraries for even more young readers and their families!

Partner Spotlight: Thank you Amazon!

We want to extend our deepest thanks to our amazing partners at Amazon.  We’re overflowing with gratitude for their unwavering dedication to fostering a love for reading by putting books in the hands of kids who need them most. 

After an incredibly successful inaugural year, Amazon is once again supporting every single school participating in Book Up Summer from Seattle Public Schools! Their support goes beyond financial contributions for books and bags; Amazon team members roll up their sleeves and dive into the magic of literacy as Book Buddies at schools. Together, they guide students in handpicking 12 captivating books to take home for summer reading and beyond. We are grateful for their continued support and dedication to championing literacy with us. 

To Amazon, we say a resounding THANK YOU for making a difference in our city, and shaping the future of our kids—one page at a time!

Amazon volunteers working with students at Book Up Summer

A Taste for Reading was a success!

We are thrilled so many people were able to gather with us on Thursday, May 2 for our annual luncheon, where we celebrated multilingual learners! 

The program was full of amazing testimonials and success stories, from hearing Graciela’s story about growing up as the daughter of asparagus cutters and how she shows up for her students every day to seeing Laura, a Page Ahead kid, on the stage speaking about the impact of having your own books. We were all reminded of how the work that is done here helps all kids. Thank you to our speakers for showing us and reminding us to give back to the communities we belong to!

It also goes without saying, but, the kids from Panther Lake Elementary in Federal Way did a PHENOMENAL job with their performance of Federico and the Wolf by Rebecca Gomez. They really brought the joy of reading to stage!

Together we raised more than $219,000 to give more kids books. Thank you to all of you who gave to support home libraries for students across Washington state!

Weren’t able to attend? Click here to view the full event on our YouTube channel and you can still give a child a home library of 12 new books right here!

You gaveBIG!

We’d like to thank all of the donors who gave to Page Ahead for GiveBIG 2024! Thank you for making sure kids in need get a great start with reading. Your gifts helped give more than 100 children a home library for their own this summer!  

Thak you for giveing me 12 book for free and for helping me be a batter reader. You are makeing me love reading. Sincerley, Hayat

p.s. my sister read to much

Left Coast Crime Conference 2024 – Updates

A heartfelt shout-out to the folks who organized and volunteered at the Left Coast Crime conference this year. With amazing panels, auction items, and a plethora of book-lovers, Page Ahead received more than $9,000 in donations and is also going to be the recipient of any royalties that are made from the conference anthology, The Killing Rain. 

Thank you so much Left Coast Crime, we are so deeply appreciative of your hard work to put the conference together and for all the support you generated for kids and reading!

Staff are reading…

Our community outreach specialist, Laura, is currently reading Come and Get It by Kiley Reid. Here’s what she has to say about the book:

Come and Get It is a book where it feels like nothing and everything are happening simultaneously. This book is a real page-turner; Reid deals with issues of classism, racism, and friendship feuds in a masterful way where I felt instantly transported back to the college dorms. Highly recommend!