Page Ahead is facing a serious funding shortfall that could impact the children we serve.
A major corporate partner unexpectedly reduced their support just as we began serving more students than ever. As a result, we now face a serious funding gap. And, as federal budget cuts threaten school budgets, particularly for programs for low-income families, we are receiving more requests for help from our partners.
Page Ahead is not in danger of closing our programs, but we are at a critical point. This shortfall means we may not be able to serve every child currently in our programs, or add new students who need us. Fewer kids will experience the joy of choosing their own books, building a home library, and discovering the magic of reading.
That’s not just disappointing—it’s dangerous. Because when children fall behind in reading, they fall behind in life.
Our most urgent need is to raise $50,000 right now to keep our programs running this summer and into the fall. But, that’s just the start—over the coming months, we need to close a total shortfall of $160,000. Your gift today helps us stay on track and protect access to books and reading support for kids across Washington.
We’re a community that believes every child deserves the chance to succeed. That’s why I’m asking for your help today. Whether you can give $50 to support one child, or $1250 to help an entire classroom, your gift is urgently needed and will be put to work immediately.
If you have any questions, please email us at info@pageahead.org or call (206) 461-0123. Thank you for your support for kids and reading!
It was a record breaking year for Book Up Summer! Serving 23,638 students in 129 elementary schools here in Washington state, Book Up Summer distributed 299,032 books this year—the most ever since its inception in 2012.
We could not have done this without the support from all of our volunteers: 207 volunteers gave 664 hours of their time to help ensure that every child has the chance to read this summer. Thank you, volunteers, for all that you do to champion literacy for EVERY child.
Book Up Summer helps prevent the “summer slide.” Summer slide refers to the phenomenon where during their summer vacation, students lose some of the skills they learned and worked on throughout the school year. When students go home with 12 brand new books that they have self-selected, they are able to practice and work on reading in a way that is exciting and enjoyable to them. This ensures they start the next school year ready to learn and build on their current skills!
Summer Story Times
Happy summer vacation! This year we are once again serving young readers with outdoor story times in the Ballard and High Point neighborhoods.
If you have a young reader in your life, we would love for you to join us at the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens at the Ballard Locks for a summer story time session!
This year, we’ve doubled the number of story time sessions. Page Ahead readers will be at the Ballard Locks every Tuesday and Thursday from 11am – 12pm until the end of August.
We hope to see you there!
Thank you NACUA!
The National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) held its annual conference in Seattle this year and chose Page Ahead as one of the local charitable beneficiaries of the event. Conference attendees were invited to participate in a book drive by purchasing a book to donate at the Page Ahead pop-up shop or bringing one to the conference with them. The book drive was a resounding success, bringing in 411 books for students here in Washington!
Thank you so much to the NACUA attendees for championing literacy for all kids.
Volunteers from BYU and NACUA at the Page Ahead table
Local Business Partner: Old Stove Brewing Co.
On Tuesday, July 8th, please join us at Old Stove Gardens in Ballard as part of their Giving in the Gardens promotion! Page Ahead will have a table there and $1 from every pint sold will be donated to us.
Bring a friend or a good book and join us on their outside patio for a fun evening. See you there!
Summer reading resources for you
Summer reading isn’t just fun for kids, it’s fun for the whole family. Here are some resources for all ages to get you started. Happy reading!
Check out your local independent bookstore to see if they have author events and/or story times scheduled for the summer
What we’re reading…
Annabel Wrightsman has been a volunteer with Page Ahead for the last 2 years. She helps with a variety of projects, from sending books to our school partners to supporting special events. A lover of children’s books, Annabel has worked on writing her own stories and will be starting at the University of Washington’s iSchool in the fall to pursue her MLIS. Here’s what she has to say about a book she’s recently finished:
“I recently read Kristiana Kahakauwila’s middle grade novel Clairboyance, which is a 2025 Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) Children’s Honor Book. It’s a beautiful story about a Hawaiian girl named Clara, who loves to draw, whittle, and help her grandmother tend to the taro patches of their home on Oahu’s North Shore. But Clara does not love how awkward 6th grade has become, which makes her want to move away to live with her dad in Arizona. When Clara accidentally gains an ancestral power that allows her to hear what boys are thinking, she thinks she can more quickly make her getaway dream a reality. But things get way more awkward, before, eventually, Clara learns to listen to her heart, make new friends, regain old ones, and deepen her knowledge of her heritage. Having grown up in Hawaii, I particularly appreciate Kahakauwila’s deft use of languages (including Hawaiian and the English-based creole language known as Hawaiian Pidgin), and her sensitive depiction of a child navigating long-distance relationships. And as someone who now lives in Seattle, I love that one of Clara’s new friends is from here.”
We are one month into Book Up Summer and what an incredible month it has been! But we’re not done yet—students all over Washington continue to select their 12 free books for summer reading—building their home libraries and sustaining the reading skills they’ve learned this school year. Because of Book Up Summer, students will be able to read to their heart’s content this summer, minimizing summer learning loss, and ensuring that when next school year starts, they’ll be able to hit the ground running.
Thank you to everyone who has volunteered as a book fair helper already. It is because of each of you that we are able to provide home libraries to even more students this year.
It’s not too late to volunteer! You can sign up for shifts here (registration required if new user) or email Laura to sign your group or company up. See you at the book fair!
Partner Spotlight: Amazon
It’s a 3-peat! Amazon is graciously supporting several of our Seattle schools for the third year in a row. Their support has always gone beyond financial contributions—Amazon team members roll up their sleeves and dive into the joy of being Book Buddies at schools each year. But this year, Amazon volunteers have taken on an extra responsibility in setting up the book fairs, ensuring that every step of the process is smooth sailing for our school partners, and especially for our students.
To Amazon, we say a resounding THANK YOU for making a difference in our city, and shaping the future of our kids—one book at a time!
Getting ‘A Taste for Reading’
It was so exciting to have a completely full house at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel on Wednesday, April 30th for our 22nd annual benefit luncheon, A Taste for Reading. What a treat to spend the lunch hour with a room full of literacy champions!
The program was full of amazing testimonials and success stories. We were honored to have Governor Ferguson kick us off, sharing his own reading memories and values and reminding us that we can all work together to build a better future for our kids. Keynote speaker, Kathy Emerick, Executive Director of School and Leadership Success for the Kent School District, shared her firsthand experience as an educator and as a mother about the impact that books and reading have on children. Finally, Story Time reader Linda Gainer spoke about how something as simple as reading with children can build strong readers and habits.
If you weren’t able to attend (or if you did attend but would like to relive the event!), you can watch the recorded event here:
Annie W (left) poses with her books and Page Ahead staff member, Laura Le
Annie W. is one of Page Ahead’s youngest and most active supporters. Each year Annie partners with Magnolia’s Bookstore in her neighborhood, and hosts a book drive for Page Ahead. This year, Annie collected over 40 brand new books worth over $500!
We are so excited to see young leadership helping support literacy for all. Thank you, Annie, for sharing your love of reading with other children in Washington!
You gaveBIG!
We’d like to thank all of the donors who gave to Page Ahead for GiveBIG 2025! Thank you for making sure all kids get a great start with reading. Your gifts helped give more than 75 children a home library of their own this summer.
Dear Donors, thank you SO much for paying for our books
and thank you for your act of kindness
and I can’t wait to read all my boooks.
Sincerely, Leila
Literacy Fair with TeamRead
On Sunday, June 15th, Team Read and the Seattle Public Library will be hosting a literacy fair at the Beacon Hill Branch Library.
Page Ahead will have a table at this event to share information to families about our programs and our involvement in their children’s schools. Want to help? You can volunteer at this event as a set-up volunteer or as an information table volunteer. Please email Laura if you’re interested!
The literacy fair will have summer reading resources for families, sign up help for library cards, and entertainment for the kids with snacks and a magic show! We hope to see you there!
Meet Sofia – Our Newest Team Member
Hi, I’m Sofia! I’m a rising junior at Loyola University Chicago studying Environmental Studies and Anthropology with a minor in Education Policy. I’m joining Page Ahead as a Programs Intern this summer to help our events run smoothly and start some planning for next year’s Story Leaders.
I grew up in Seattle and was an avid reader, often getting in trouble for staying up past my bedtime to finish a book. I was inspired to go into education by my mom, a former first-grade teacher, and my partner, a preschool teacher. I love being able to connect with kids and watch them grow their skills. I have a strong sense of justice and am passionate about equity in education. In my free time, I enjoy crocheting, yoga, and listening to podcasts.
I just finished reading Wicked by Gregory Maguire. I have been familiar with the Wizard of Oz film and Wicked the musical for a long time and was surprised it took me so long to pick up the book. It is a prequel to the Wizard of Oz that explains the life of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and why she became evil. It explores and questions the nature of good and evil. It’s more different from the musical/movie than I was expecting!
Tomorrow is the big day and we’re buzzing with excitement here at Page Ahead. We’re so excited to meet new friends and enjoy familiar company on April 30th.
This event is not possible without the support of our sponsors. Their generosity will keep kids reading for years to come.
If you’re unable to attend the event, you can still support our effort to build home libraries by making a gift today. All new monthly gifts of $50 or more will be matched by our sponsors! Double your impact—and let’s double the number of home libraries in Washington state together.
Thank you everyone, sponsors and supporters alike, for building a better future, one book at a time with us.
GiveBig 2025
Mark your calendars and set your alarms—GiveBig will be taking place from May 6 – 7! For a full 24 hours, you can come together with your fellow Washingtonians to spend the day giving back to your communities.
Together, we can get that giving feeling and put books directly in the hands of kids who need them most.
Early giving is now open if you’d like to get a head start on the fun—make your gift now!
Book Up Summer
The Page Ahead book fairs have begun! Now through the end of the school year in June, more than 23,000 kids across Washington will select their 12 brand-new books to keep and read over the summer. The Book Up Summer program gives these young readers 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 your group or company up!
This year, schools received additional shipments of books highly requested by students and their families! To better support multilingual learners, schools received extra books in several world languages, including (but not limited to!) Vietnamese, Russian, Portuguese, and Somali. In addition, copies of Dogman: Mothering Heights 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 to provide home libraries for even more children this year.
Norwescon 2025
We are so excited to have been the community partner of this year’s Norwescon! Norwescon is the largest science-fiction and fantasy convention in the Pacific Northwest. Although the primary focus of the convention is on literature, Norwescon is large enough to provide a venue for many of the other aspects of sci-fi and fantasy, such as comics, costuming, art, gaming, and more! Attendees were encouraged to bring in art, props, jewelry, books, games, etc. to be part of an art show and silent auction to raise funds for Page Ahead.
Thank you, Norwescon, for championing children’s literacy with us! We are so grateful for your support in building home libraries and nurturing lifelong readers.
What we’re reading…
Genise Lee has been a dedicated Page Ahead volunteer since 2008. Over the years, she has generously shared her clerical expertise–supporting everything from data entry to bundling bookplates. Genise’s steadfast presence has made her an integral part of Page Ahead’s story.
She recommends Lab Girl by Hope Jahren. “The book is entertaining and well-written, reflecting on a fascinating life pursuing the wonders of botany through a very human lens.”
Now a well-respected geobiologist, Hope Jahren’s memoir details her journey to opening her own lab in Hawaii. The story explores her experiences growing up in rural Minnesota, living with bipolar disorder, and finding friendship and love in unexpected places. Hope invites all readers to take a look outside and find something green.
Genise loves to read memoirs, and she admires scientists whose dedication and labor are not well understood and usually underappreciated.
The students are hard at work practicing their Readers’ Theatre performance! Come watch their jubilant debut and enjoy a lunch on us at this year’s A Taste for Reading luncheon! April 30th is just around the corner, and we’d love to see you at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel to learn how you can build a better future, just one book at a time.
We had so much fun this month reading with students for National Reading Month! Page Ahead volunteers celebrated with kindergartners and first-graders at schools in Seattle and Tukwila. After picking and choosing a book to take home and keep forever (along with a highly-coveted volunteer-decorated bookmark), the students had those very same books read aloud to them by our wonderful volunteers.
Thank you so much to the 40 volunteers from Boeing, Coho RE, DPR Construction, First Tech, People’s Bank, and Pitchbook who came and spread their love of reading to over 200 students. Your enthusiasm will leave a lasting impact on these students and will encourage a lifelong love of reading in them.
Just next week, on Friday, April 4, 2025, the Women’s University Club is hosting Tracie D. Hall as part of their meet-the-author series.
We hope you can join Tracie and the WUC to learn about “Information Islands: How Disinformation and the Decline in Human Literacy are Dividing Us and What Can We Do About It.”
Widely known as a “Warrior Librarian,” Tracie was on the Time100 List of Most Influential People in 2023, served as the executive director of the American Library Association, and is now a distinguished practitioner in residence at the University of Washington iSchool.
This event is open to supporters of Page Ahead. Tickets are still available—buy a ticket here! In honor of this event, the WUC is hosting a book drive to benefit Page Ahead! All guests are encouraged to bring a children’s book to donate or purchase one from the Secret Garden Books pop-up shop at the event.
Happy Anniversary, Book Oasis!
Volunteers Peggy (left) and Graham (right) restocking a Book Oasis Little Free Library.
DAs we celebrate another year of Book Oasis, we’re reflecting on the big impact that these little free libraries have in the community. The little free libraries help increase book circulation in neighborhoods that are considered book deserts. Each Book Oasis is filled with children’s books and helps bolster home libraries in their neighborhoods. Check out our website to see where you can find one of our 19 Book Oases!
Since its inception in 2021, the Book Oases have circulated 27,214 books and have been restocked 679 times by volunteers! This is equivalent to 2,000 volunteer hours! We are so grateful to all of the volunteers who have given their time and energy into making Book Oasis such a massive success!
As Laurie Rich, one of our restock volunteers, told us: “I am SO grateful for this library. Every time I see it being used, it makes my day. I introduced myself to a mother who had stopped there with her three kids, and she was also the mother to the first child I tutored with the Reading Partners tutoring program. This Oasis is helping raise readers!”
What we’re reading…
Robin Sanders has volunteered with Page Ahead for over ten years. She helps weekly in our office, at special events, and was one of the key volunteers who helped us bring the Book Oasis project to life. Here’s what she has to say about a book she recently finished and one she is currently reading:
“I just finished The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, a mystery about two children who disappear, several years apart, from a wealthy and troubled family. The story is set in the Adirondacks–at the family’s estate, an adjacent summer camp, and the surrounding rural community. It explores the traps of class (both in poverty and wealth) and also questions of community, belonging, and loyalty. The minor characters contribute to the story in satisfying ways, and the plot maintained its momentum and cohesiveness through to the end.
Another book that I’m currently reading also features things that go bump in the woods: The Last Wildlife Control Officer in British Columbia. This memoir, by Dennis Pemble, describes a 30-year career tracking cougars and bears throughout BC. It features notable moments like relocating a bear via helicopter, having a cougar wake up from a tranquilizer while still in his truck, and (most unexpectedly) rounding up an ostrich at the airport. I like memoirs in the ‘unsung heroes’ category, and this definitely fits the bill.”
You are invited! Please join us for lunch on Wednesday, April 30 and learn how we can build a better future for kids, one book at a time. 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.
Learn more about how your company can sponsor the luncheon by emailing Development Manager, Debra Carnegie, at dcarnegie@pageahead.org
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.
My Daddy is a Cowboy by Stephanie Seales and illustrated by C. G. Esperanza is a great example. This book is a 2025 Caldecott Honor book and a Coretta Scott Illustrator Award Winner. It tells a heartwarming story of a young girl and her father as they ride through their city in the early morning on their family horses, revelling in “just-us time” and sharing stories about community, discovery, and cowboys!
Books are a powerful medium for representation and we hope that you and your loved ones celebrate Black History Month by reading together.
Women’s University Club – Book Drive
On April 4, 2025, the Women’s University Club will host a Meet the Author event, which will also serve as a book drive for Page Ahead!
Keynote speaker Tracie D. Hall will lead a discussion on “Information Islands: How Disinformation and the Decline in Human Literacy are Dividing Us and What Can We Do About It.” Widely known as a “Warrior Librarian,” Tracie was on the Time100 List of Most Influential People in 2023, served as the executive director of the American Library Association, and is now a distinguished practitioner in residence at the University of Washington iSchool.
This event is open to supporters of Page Ahead. You can learn more and buy a ticket here. All guests are encouraged to bring a children’s book to donate or purchase one from the Secret Garden Books pop-up shop at the event.
Volunteer opportunity: translating family surveys
Do you, or anyone you know, have an interest in helping us translate our family surveys into various languages from the around the world?
Many Page Ahead students live in multilingual homes, where their parents’ or caregivers’ first language is not English. Page Ahead is working on sending home letters and surveys that reflect the languages of the students we serve. We are looking for volunteers to help us translate the surveys into:
Vietnamese
Pashto
Dari
Somalian
Ukrainian
Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese dialects)
Please email Laura at lle@pageahead.org if you’re interested in this opportunity. Thank you so much for helping us reach the families that we serve!
What we’re reading…
Sharon Litvinoff is a dedicated Page Ahead volunteer who contributes in many ways. As the 2024 Sarajane Beal Award for Volunteer Excellence winner, she is one of our biggest advocates and supporters. She serves on our program committee, helps at book fairs, and even took on the role of table captain for the first time last year. Here’s what she has to say about the book she just finished:
“Reading Kevin Hart’s book, I Can’t Make This Stuff Up: Lessons by Hart was no tall order 🙂 ! I enjoyed it very much. Kevin has this magnetic personality that shines through on the comedy stage, screen and now in print. His life experiences became life lessons that flowed seamlessly through each chapter. Even during Kevin’s many struggles, beginning in his early childhood, his positive attitude, along with his generosity, kindness, and drive, kept him on track and focused on his goals and dreams. If you are looking for some comic relief, I strongly recommend Kevin Hart’s latest book. Good things really do come in small packages.”
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!
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!”
To kick off this year’s holiday season—and the season of giving overall—you, our phenomenal supporters, showed up for us in so many ways.
For the fifth year in a row, Page Ahead has won the First Tech Season of Giving $10,000 grant! Thanks to your nominations, we not only secured the victory but received the most nominations of any participating organization. This generous grant will allow us to purchase books for 200 children, building home libraries that support their reading journeys.
We’re also 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 Dragons Love Tacos; The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry & the Big Hungry Bear; and, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus to 1,752 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 to 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.
“The new books were the best because I can learn new things in the books and the books are important to me and I love my new books!”
Your tax-deductible gift by December 31, will help us say ‘Yes!’ to even more kids in 2025. 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…
Darryl Wong is a Page Ahead volunteer who supports Page Ahead in a variety of ways, such as restocking Book Oasis little free libraries, helping us at special events, and packing the thousands of books for our Story Leaders programs. He recently finished Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu.
Interior Chinatown has been on his reading list for quite some time, but he moved it to the top of the list once the new Hulu series was announced. Darryl always prefers to read a book before watching its adaptation! Interior Chinatown grapples with what it means to be Asian and Asian-American in Hollywood. Protagonist Willis Wu is hoping for his big break in Hollywood, but once he is there, he struggles with his identity and Hollywood’s orientalist depiction of Asians and Asian-Americans. With his unique writing style and format, Charles Yu embeds the reader into Willis’s psyche and the acting world.
When looking for books to read, Darryl searches for books by Asian-American authors. Next on his list is No-no Boy by John Okada.
Just one week left in First Tech Federal Credit Union’s Season of Giving, and Page Ahead is still in the running to win a $10,000 grant. Let’s get together and rally our family, friends, and colleagues for the home stretch!
Page Ahead has won 5 years in a row with your support and we don’t want to end our streak. Put inYOUR nomination today!
Nominations will close on November 30. Your nomination will help us give 3,100 new books to kids who need them most.
GivingTuesday
Mark your calendars for December 3—it’s GivingTuesday!
This year, Page Ahead is so grateful to our generous sponsor, The Schreiber Family Foundation. They have offered up a challenge to all of you: make a gift to Page Ahead and they will match it! All gifts made on GivingTuesday will be counted until the $10,000 challenge is reached.
Together, we can make a difference in a child’s life on GivingTuesday.
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, Revel/Infogain, and PACCAR’s Kenworth Division spent 82 hours reading to 250 first and second 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.
Battle of the Bars
Looking for something fun to do this month? Join us for the battle of the bars! Vinbero and Kelnero in Edmonds are hosting their monthly Battle of the Bars event this weekend (November 21 – 24). Every month they riff on a specified classic cocktail. This month’s cocktail: Old Fashioned.
Your job is to taste each participating cocktail and vote on your favorite. Each vote gets you an entry into a raffle for fun prizes. A portion of the proceeds from this weekend will help us give more books to kids.
Starting at 11 AM on Thursday, Nov. 21 through 6 PM on Sunday, Nov. 24, taste these fun cocktails, enjoy some live music, and support Page Ahead while you’re at it. See you there!
Shop at Secret Garden – Ballard GivesBack
This Black Friday weekend, Nov 29 – Dec 1, 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…
Formerly a long-time Seattle area resident, Kim Dixon is a Page Ahead volunteer who enjoys reading in three kindergarten classrooms and teaching swim lessons to young and old each week near her home in Spokane. She recommends one of her favorite children’s books: The StoryBook Knight by Helen Doherty and Thomas Doherty.
“Beautifully illustrated, it is a story about Leo the Mouse whose village trains their mice to be fighting knights. Although Leo has a love of reading and desires to be a peaceful, gentle knight, he is elected to set off on a journey to slay a dragon. The story is about his journey and how not only does he overcome evil with good with the dragon, there are other beasts he tames along the way. The book spreads a fun message of sharing, reading and how a little kindness goes a long way.”
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… andwe 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:
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.”
