Let's talk about our pilot program. In the summer of 2011, BookEnds began a strategic planning process to look for ways to improve our program. We found some good ones, but this is my favorite: An exciting plan to deepen the relationships between our book drive and host schools.

Throughout the current school year, BookEnds has been taking four book drive partnerships and expanding their involvement beyond the usual delivery. This has manifested itself in a few different ways, but most exciting thus far has been the relationship between Westside Neighborhood School in Marina del Ray and the Garr Academy of Mathematics & Entrepreneurial Sciences in South Los Angeles south of the USC campus. The schools are a 20 minute drive from each other. Both schools had participated in the program in prior years, and both schools have extremely enthusiastic faculty members. It was a logical match.

Around the holidays, we began to plan our partnership. We would kick off in the Spring, and maintain the connection between the schools through the school year. So WNS would run their book drive as usual, but on the day their 4th graders introduced the book drive to the rest of the student body, they would be joined by Garr's 5th graders. This was an unprecedented event for BookEnds, arranging a reciprocal visit by the host school. And the benefits were evident.

The Garr students arrived on the WNS campus and introduced themselves to the 4th graders, chatting about their interests and reading together for a little while. Afterwards, the Garr students would spend some time with the WNS 2nd graders. Students on all sides seemed genuinely invested in the experience. And teachers on both sides believed that the visit ultimately made the ensuing delivery day that much more meaningful.

Two weeks later, that delivery happened. WNS personally delivered over 3,300 books to Garr, sitting down and reading those books with the Garr kindergarten students. Then, the WNS kids enjoyed some time competing with the 5th graders in a rousing variation of capture the flag. The kids recognized each other from a couple weeks before. They shook each others' hands, a few exchanging elaborate handshakes reminiscent of friends reuniting. The sense of camaraderie had formed.

So what now? Instead of parting ways, the two groups of students will follow-up with a pen-pal exchange before Spring Break, furthering their writing skills and continuing to build the relationships they had formed from their first two meetings. Later in April, the teachers will be setting up a Skype session between the students. We're currently looking at ways this technology might enhance the social relationships between the students, building their communication skills through a mutual love of reading, and, if possible, integrating the curriculum on the literature side as well.

It's been a hugely successful pilot project. But there is room to build. In the summer of 2012, our program committee will evaluate each pilot relationship to determine how we can offer experiences like the WNS-Garr partnership in the future. Because the more schools BookEnds can involve, the more kids we can impact. And that is reason enough to get excited.

Matt Devine,
BookEnds Program Manager

Just want to take a moment to reflect on an old study put out by the National Committee on Reading that is still relevant to today's times.  Reading to kids outloud now allows for them to read on their own in the future.  So take a moment to step away from the TV, Computer and Phone and find a child to read to - because it will forever change their life and probably yours.

Anonymous Post






 

College. It’s a loaded word with many goals and dreams and hopes attached. It’s the first major decision that truly affects the course of your life that you have some measure of control over. I can safely say that while my dream school has changed over the years, the lofty goals I had did not. Since seventh grade I’ve been working my butt off to put myself in the best position possible. It hasn’t been easy to say the least, but now as a senior in high school, I’ve finally made it.

BookEnds has played a huge part for most of my very short life. In first grade, I participated in my very first book drive at my elementary school. Instantly, I fell in love. What really sold me was the delivery and seeing how much of an impact BookEnds makes on the recipients. From then on, I knew I had stumbled upon something special. For the next five years I hunted through my bookshelves, doing my best to support the organization I love. In 9^th grade I came back to the organization and took on greater responsibilities. I was welcomed to the Board of Directors that year.

Some kids struggle to find something that they love, something that they can commit to as commitment is the golden word when it comes to college admissions. I can’t count myself among them. When I was asked during my interview what an issue close to me was, BookEnds was the obvious thing to talk about. We spent about ten minutes of a thirty minute interview about the commitment I had made to such a wonderful organization. I can’t be sure of course, but somehow I know that Wesleyan University could see how important BookEnds was to me and how it has shaped me into the leader I am today.

Go Cardinals!

Jordan Fragan, BookEnds Board Member

Oprah – 10 pts Fun -6 pts Books -11 pts  You - 6 pts

14 years ago Oprah understood the power of BookEnds  -Creating Readers and Leaders.  She named 12 year old Brandon Keefe, BookEnds Co-Founder, as a young hero.  Today, BookEnds Kids have collected and hand-delivered over 2.3 million of their gently used books to educationally underserved youth in Greater Los Angeles.

While sitting in a field listening to her sister’s lesson, Alice catches a glimpse of a white rabbit running by her.  This all seems very normal, but things take a turn when she hears the rabbit speak and realizes that he is wearing a waistcoat.  The next thing she knows, the rabbit jumps into a hole and disappears.  Sparked by curiosity, “down went Alice after [the rabbit], never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.” Alice unknowingly enters Wonderland, and her adventures there will be life changing.  To me, reading has always been like falling down the rabbit hole into Alice’s world of imagination.  Literature is a wonderland, where the reasonable can become nonsense yet still have a profound impact on reality.

Once you fall down the rabbit hole, you are transported into another time and place completely.  You are taken out of the world you know, and you enter into the world of nonsense and make-believe.  This world may seem insignificant because it is not real, yet it has the power to take us out of reality and suck us in to what we are reading.  We can become mentally and emotionally involved in what we read, to the point where the images in the story come to life in our imaginations.  We don’t have to be taught how to enter into Wonderland—it just happens.  Even children who are just learning how to read can become immersed in a story.  It is natural for us to fall into what we are reading—we want to feel what the characters feel and understand the world through their eyes.  All it takes is one step, the opening of one page, and you have entered another realm where your previous knowledge of life may be flipped on its head.

            Wonderland allows you to find yourself after you become lost in it.  “Who are you?” is the first thing that the caterpillar asks Alice, to which she has no answer.  In Wonderland, we are able to look inside ourselves and figure out who we are from the challenges we are presented with.  It challenges us by making us question our own lifestyle from learning about different ways of life from different characters.  We are able to explore ourselves and decide who we want to be from what we learn in Wonderland.  We can ask ourselves these questions we might not have thought of before, and we can decide what we believe and the opinions we want to form.  The words that we read call us to further contemplation of life, and it is up to us to accept the challenge in order to find out who we are and apply this knowledge to our lives.

             Falling through the rabbit hole has helped me develop as a person, and I have been able to learn more about myself and humanity from my time in Wonderland.  Although this time may seem like nonsense to others because it does not help me get a job or make more money, I am much more satisfied knowing that I have spent my time learning who I am and gaining insight from this experience.  Alice has taught me more than many professors have been able to, because she allowed me to enter in to Wonderland with her and find myself through the nonsense. 

Abbie Case
BookEnds Program Intern

"An investment in education, is an investment in national defense."

My father, Dr. Harry Handler, made this statement many years ago when he was the Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. 

8 is a magic number! 

I don’t like to shop, but I’ll definitely be on Groupon next week!  On January 24 through January 26^th, BookEnds and G-Team, the philanthropic arm of Groupon, are partnering for the benefit of Middleton Street School, here in Los Angeles. 

Middleton Street School is located in Huntington Park and has almost 1300 students, 100% of whom qualify for the federal free lunch program. They are very proud of their Mariachi group, folklorico group and drum line, which perform at LAUSD and City of Huntington Park functions.



The BookEnds Books for Middleton campaign will be available on Groupon Los Angeles G-Team page beginning on Tuesday, January 24 through Thursday, January 26.  Utilizing G-Team’s collective action model, Groupon subscribers can pledge support for the BookEnds Books for Middleton initiative in increments of $8.00, with each $8.00 providing $40 worth of books for students at Middleton.

Last week I attended a poetry reading in Canoga Park. Usually I avoid voluntarily going to Canoga Park because it is located in Canoga Park.¹ But on this evening I made an exception. It was a Tuesday night. 53 degrees Fahrenheit.

I walked into the Cobalt Café and took my seat.⁴ The Cobalt is a bomb shelter of a space, complete with antique odors and timid lighting. A series of love seats and benches line the perimeter opposite the stage, accenting the chalky black walls. All of the attention would be focused on the reader.

I hadn’t been to a reading since my time in Chicago,⁵ frequenting readings everywhere from Uptown’s Green Mill—the birthplace of slam poetry—to a Wicker Park dive named Chinaski’s.⁶ So I may be rusty, but I have high expectations. The Cobalt did not disappoint.

There were readers of all backgrounds. A white-haired man in suspenders, reading an ode to Nixon-era hippies. Two brothers from Galveston, Texas, rapping in spoken word about W.E.B. DuBois. A single mother from Boyle Heights, waxing eloquently about the devotion of her immigrant mother. And me, with my old standby “match.com profile: successful”.⁷  

It was a wonderfully engaging and inspiring Tuesday night. Here’s what I’m getting at: You should go to a poetry reading.⁸ Integrate it into your New Years Resolution.⁹  Promising to take more risks? Go read that awful poem you wrote to your first love in 7^th grade (come on, you totally kept it). Planning to exercise more? Put on your track suit and run to the Cobalt (informal attire is cool). Eating better? Bring an apple with you (what?). I really don’t care how you do it. But if you love reading or writing, if you are curious about your local community of budding writers, find an event near you. You might be surprised how much you enjoy it.

Canoga Park notwithstanding.

¹I don’t care for Canoga Park.²

²Or didn’t. It’s kind of growing on me.³

³For example, Cavaretta’s Italian Deli? It’s totally awesome.

⁴I’m on crutches, so it was more of a hobble. I hobbled into the Cobalt Café and stumbled into my seat. For the record. 

⁵Not 53 degrees Fahrenheit in January.

⁶Points for anyone who can point out the irony herein.

⁷Not suitable for all audiences.

⁸Subtlety is not my strong point.

⁹My resolution is to use fewer footnotes.

Matt Devine, BookEnds Program Manager

With the holiday season in mind and winter break just around the corner, I’ve heard a lot of talk about charity and giving. “It’s better to give than to receive,” and “the holiday season isn’t just about opening presents, it’s about opening our hearts.” Yeah yeah yeah.   We’re all aware that we are supposed to feel more motivated to “give back” during the Holidays, what with the trademarked “Season of Giving” and all that time off work. (And let’s be honest, the end of the year is practically earmarked for giving.) Still, with the reiteration of those, pardon me, stale sayings, many of us are moved. Moved to spend a day volunteering or even to simply pass up the opportunity to honk at a moronic driver with whom we’re sharing the road. We do all want to effect change in the lives of others and make a difference in the world. Right?

Here’s something interesting though. It may be easier than we think to change the world for the better. Well, actually, IT IS EASY, according to scientists and scholars.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100308151049.htm

I came across this article recently on ScienceDaily.com (Yes, I’m that girl) which states that new lab evidence proves that “Acts of Kindness” are contagious. Lab Evidence! Yes, well anyway, apparently when one person performs an ‘act of kindness’, that ‘act of kindness’ spreads to other people and can be traced to three degrees of separation. It argues that “paying it forward” is not only a great idea, but that cascading ‘acts of kindness’ are what connect us with others; they’re the glue of our social networks. In short, ‘Acts of kindness’ rely on human connections, and human social networks would not endure without them. I found this to be super cool.

Here’s an example. I’m standing outside of BookEnds’ office on Sepulveda Boulevard. Scientifically speaking, if I run after a woman on the street because she dropped her sunglasses,  the woman will then kindly hold the door for the gentleman entering Baja Bud’s behind her, who will in turn pay a compliment to the family behind him in line, and the flattered parent of the family will then thank the cashier with an extra tip.  And in a quick five minutes, four more people have been swooped up in my contagious transmission of kindness.

While science is awesome, we don’t really need lab evidence nor scholars to tell us how contagious ‘acts of kindness’ truly are. I received a letter in the mail last week from a 3^rd grade student recipient who recently participated in a BookEnds delivery. After making friends with and being read to by a generous kid who simply brought books for him, Allen said, “I’m grateful for the books because our school has no money to get books because of the economy, but you guys did it from the bottom of your heart. You made me want to send books to little children when I grow up, and you inspired me to be thankful for the books I have. Thank you very much!”

Gretchen Schroeder
BookEnds Program Manager

Through my work as President of BookEnds, I am forever humbled by the generous hearts and deep empathy found in most people I meet. During this holiday season when we struggle with reduced material resources, I find the overflowing human spirit a bountiful treasure.

I was at the gym early this morning, amongst a familiar group of highly driven people, when a gasp rang out.  A 76 year-old woman had fallen off the treadmill. Conscious but ailing, a large group of people quickly surrounded her, provided comfort and aide, selflessly stopping their worlds until the paramedics arrived.  

More than a year ago, I moved into a townhouse development where I share a wall with my neighbor Lori. As I have struggled with house maintenance, living alone and the day to day trials of life, Lori has been there. When her gate needed painting, she painted mine too; when she installed a fan in her garage she figured I would also need one; when she notices my car in the driveway and she had just made dinner, I get an invitation. And when my beloved dog got sick and I needed to get to the vet to put her down, it was Lori who I called, who held first my dog and then me.

I read the headlines, pausing at our economic malaise and political impasses, but what inspires my lasting impression is the energy and spirit of the common man who takes the time to help a stranger, be a great neighbor or read to a child.  With human compassion as our foundation, regardless of how faulty we sometimes build our house, the best of our world will endure.

Happy Holidays – may we thrive and enjoy the prosperity of spirit found in each other.

Robin

When I was a child my second grade teacher told the class that every time we read a book we would go on a new adventure.  She said that authors take readers on magic carpet rides and that we could travel to far away countries both real and make-believe or slay dragons, or meet interesting people and learn about their lives or even solve mysteries.  As a child I loved each and every adventure.  I traveled to Lilliput with Gulliver, went to the arctic with Mr. Poppers, learned to love horses with National Velvet, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and learned about the lives of countless interesting people. My love of reading grew through the years and, today, I start every morning reading at least a part of a novel or interesting book that sits on my nightstand.

As a principal I wanted my students to develop that same love of reading.  I wanted them to get lost in the stories that reside inside of great books.  Many of the students at Limerick elementary had books at home but so many did not.  For many students, the place to find books was in their classroom libraries or in our school library. 

I remembered my childhood.  Hunkering down under the cover with my flashlight there were nights I could not put down my book.  I often finished a book in 2 days. With over 1000 students at Limerick most students got to visit the school library about every 14 days.  This limited their ability to exchange books and read…read…read!

One day a young boy and his mother called and said they wanted to donate books to the children at Limerick.  Brandon and some of his friends would run a book drive and with the help of his mom, Robin, would bring the books to our school.  Robin said we could give the books to the children, put them in classrooms, or use them however we felt would best benefit the students.  I was thrilled.  The thought of getting 50 new or slightly used books seemed great and I knew the teachers and children would be very happy to accept this wonderful donation.

Imagine our surprise when over 1000 books arrived at our school!  I immediately called our custodian, Mr. Henry and asked him to set up tables in the auditorium.  Teachers were amazed at the generosity of Brandon and his classmates.  The children were thrilled with their new classroom libraries.  That day, Brandon, his classmates, and their families not only touched the lives of over 1000 children, 63 teachers, and one principal but gave a gift that reached countless children and their families over many, many years.

It is the holiday time.  I just read an article that asked us to think about ways to help the less fortunate during this holiday season.  I can’t think of a better way than to give the gift of a book to a child.  Help that student travel that world through a great book.  Introduce him to great role models.  Let him get lost in a wild adventure or capture his curious nature with a great book about science.  Give students access to interesting novels of every genre. 

BookEnds serves a great need in our community.  I am grateful to have been the principal of the very first BookEnds recipient school. Brandon and Robin, thank you.  Let’s all be sure to support this wonderful organization through our donations, volunteer actions, and by getting the word out to others who can be of great support.

Ronni Ephraim
Chief Academic Officer at 2tor Inc.
Adjunct Assistant Professor at University of Southern California

A guest blog!

THE ART of READING

When I sit around a table with a group of kids to discuss a book, I’m really sitting at the table to discuss their thinking.  The book, or the text, is the vehicle for our meeting of the minds; to push ourselves to find and examine the ideas burgeoning from within the texts (at times, or at first, not so obviously), to conjure up insights about a character’s experience, emotions, re-actions, thoughts, motivations, imaginations, etc., to grapple with real issues of humanity, individuality and group dynamics, to dig up the great ideas of what it means to exist in this world.  Really reading together, discussing together, gives us the great opportunity to be introduced to and to grapple with much bigger ideas that exist outside of ourselves, and yet reside in each of our souls, at any age.  To read, to really, truly read is to become and understand what it means to be human, because it gives us the lift off to think, to engage, to listen, and ultimately to dream, imagine, and create!

Happy Reading!

Rochelle Robinson
Library & Literary Arts, Laurence School
www.awritersspace.com

A wonderful thing
conscious, fantastic, extraordinary
imagination isn’t reserved
dreamers might be
spend our brains
in viewing, understanding
opportunity to see
to fly along
while dreaming big               
to harness, transform
they collected books.

Poetry can come from the most unlikely of places. Above is a variation of an Oulipo exercise* known as the hiakuization. This is where the author extracts three words from each line of a given text to create a poem. The poem here was created from the two more “grounded” paragraphs from my September blog. It’s literary recycling. I think the update is better.

You should recycle. Recycle your junk mail, your discarded paper towel tubes and glass bottles, your #1 and #2 plastic containers and your compost. Recycle your words. And definitely recycle your books. There are kids everywhere who need them. And they are always better the second time around.

* learn more about Oulipo here: http://nestersteachingblog.wordpress.com/2010/11/23/a-collection-of-oulipo-exercises/

Matt Devine, Program Manager
BookEnds

A book or a Nook?

There is a lot of conversation around whether paper books will go the way of the 8-track or 33 LP record.  As we get used to the convenience and utility of our technology devices, why would we care to be burdened and encumbered by a tome? As I reach out to our community in my work with BookEnds, it has now become a regular question I ask as I seek to understand a small aspect of the earthquake-sized ever-fluid impact of technology in our lives.

My small scientific survey results comes from as admittedly biased group of engaged readers, but the sampling includes kids, young professionals as well as sage executives. Surprisingly, I have found great consensus.  People love the convenience and ease of their Kindles and Nooks especially when they travel.  They use their computers throughout the day to stay abreast of the latest articles and news in their fields of interest. But even then if an article is lengthy people frequently print a copy of it to read. They confirm the research studies that our brains are better suited to retain detailed information from a printed page. And at the end of the day when they seek the universal joy, escape and entertainment of reading, their preference is to curl up with that ‘old-fashioned’ hard cover book. One man remarked, “you know, I have never fallen asleep with my laptop on my pillow.”

Robin Keefe,
BookEnds President

There have been numerous discussions at BookEnds over the role books will play in our increasing screen-centric digital age.  Will novels be replaced by e-readers and textbooks by the iPad?  How can the physical distribution of books compete with e-books sent over the internet?  Should BookEnds be focusing its effort’s away from books? 

Here’s my two cents: Books are here to stay.

Johannes Gutenberg invited the printing press in 1440 – over 570 years ago.  Prior to Gutenberg’s invention, all written knowledge was copied by hand at the rate of a few pages a day.  Gutenberg’s press allowed for a single machine to produce 3,600 pages per day!  Few, if any inventions have had such a profound effect on our society, transferring wisdom, knowledge, and news to the masses.

The digital age has made access to information as simple as querying a Google search – but access to that information requires the ability to read.  Imagine not being able to read - I can’t.  Almost everything I do involves reading.  My work, iPhone, news, e-mail, travel.  The list goes on.

BookEnds serves communities without access to the basic tools they need to learn to read.  In an era of ever shrinking public budgets, school administrators are forced to make tough choices.  There is not even $1 exclusively allocated for the purchase of recreational reading books for students in the current LAUSD budget. Funds to upgrade the school’s computers are nonexistent. 

Now, how do you convince a school with limited funds to procure an expensive piece of hardware for each student (that will be outdated in 18 months), plus the various e-books and digital content necessary for learning?  Unfortunately I think the widespread adoption of e-readers for our public schools is a long way off.

In the meantime, elite private schools and those of us fortunate enough to enjoy an iPad or e-reader, may begin to migrate away from paper books (I’m still partial to the paperback).  This creates an awesome opportunity for BookEnds: redirect the unvalued ‘paper’ books to those who need them most. The ability of those disregarded books to inspire us to learn to read will never become obsolete; after all, the Gutenberg bible (the first mass produced book), printed in 1445 is still legible today.

Brandon J Keefe
BookEnds Co-Founder

           I was born into a relatively large family for today’s standards. There are six of us altogether. I am the fourth of four children, or more commonly known as “the baby.” I’m sure some of you can relate to the wonderful perks and, yes, the inconveniences that come with being “the baby.”

My family was always extremely close and extremely active. Family hikes and bike rides, tree-house additions, lessons on still-life paintings, spotlight tag (A better known, upgraded version is Kick-the-Can in Indiana) were all common occurrences for the whole family. I’m almost certain I had no concept of the true meaning of boredom throughout my childhood. And, though being the youngest automatically granted me the sideline positions and cheap paint supplies, I didn’t seem to mind all that much. I was happy to be a helpful, little shadow; watching in awe of my older siblings abilities. I didn’t exactly get gobs of personal attention, but such is the life of the “baby” of three awesomely able and active older siblings.

My parents, however, must have spotted my subtle yearning for “me-time”, because they always made a point of securing a special stage for me at night. At the early end of every evening arrived my Bedtime. Once I’d brushed my teeth, put on pajamas, had my hair gently braided, I would begin my library search. The rest of the day would melt away, and then it would be just me, cocooned in the covers and ready to read; to drift along my mother’s or father’s voice into adventures with new and aged characters.

Bedtime was My time.  I had books and favorite books and more favorite books. I would make my parents read them over and over to me, and when my parents became sleepy I’d let them sit back, rest their eyes and simply turn pages while I recited every word from memory. When I was seven, I memorized Winkin’, Blinkin’ and Nod and recited it like poetry to my patient mother every night for months, inflection and all.

Though I have countless fond memories of my childhood, when I think of Bedtime, I’m right back in that special place.

Gretchen Schroeder
BookEnds Program Manager

When I was just about 10 years old, I went to summer camp everyday. When camp was finished for the day, I took the bus and then the subway to my dad’s office building. I would wait downstairs until he finished work for the day and he would meet me. It was the Prudential building in Boston. On the ground floor there were a number of different stores but I really only remember 3 of them: FAO Schwartz, Friendly’s and Barnes & Noble. I was a kid without any money. So going to Friendly’s for an egg cream soda was a special treat reserved for special occasions with my Dad.  FAO Schwartz had the most beautiful stuffed Steiff animals. They were truly magical and looked like they might come alive at any moment. But for some reason it was the Barnes & Noble that was my waiting spot of choice.

Back then, there was no Starbucks in Barnes & Noble and there weren’t any chairs but that really didn’t matter to a kid with time on their hands. I would cruise the shelves, finding something new and exciting to read, plop myself down in the aisle and lose myself in those books. It was a safe place, with endless distraction and really kind staff. I became somewhat of a fixture there for a few weeks each summer. One year, they even let me work inventory after hours. Not sure how a good a job I did, but it sure made me feel important.

Not surprisingly, bookstores hold a special place in my soul. I can spend hours in a bookstore anywhere. Hi De Ho Comics or Hennessey & Ingalls or Bodhi Tree or Book Soup. Or Barnes & Noble. B&N is where I took my older daughter from the time she was too young to walk just so I could get out of the house. And when she could walk, to share with her the delight of the endless beauty and creativity of children’s books. We spent many hours hanging there every weekend. And we have the book collection to prove it! She’s 19 now and prefers Dante and has read every play by Shakespeare. I guess bookstores impacted her, too.

For 14 years, in two separate cities, we had the privilege of living within walking distance of a B&N. It was a destination that got us off the couch and out of the house. It was a pleasure. Last year, the Barnes and Noble in Encino closed, replaced by a CVS. Now I live within walking distance of two CVS stores. Can’t say I feel quite the same about that. Borders in Sherman Oaks also closed last year. The nearest bookstore is a little more than 9 miles away. I own a car, it’s no big deal to drive there but somehow, that feels like far, far away. I feel an emptiness in my soul. I still love my house and the dog park. But there is definitely something missing for me now. And I am reminded of it every time I pass the corner of Hayvenhurst and Ventura Boulevards. Maybe, it’s time to move? 

Sadly, in my estimation, it is more likely that the days of bricks and mortar bookstores, and possible printed books themselves are becoming a thing of the past so moving isn’t really the answer. The bigger question, perhaps, is what will replace those Sunday afternoons spent in the bookstore, carefully selecting the next “read”? Where will those with a love of literature commune, even if they don’t speak a word to each other, to share in their common appreciation of the written word? How does a society without a temple to worship at retain their faith? That, fair and solitary reader, is something I believe is worth pondering.

BookEnds ignited the "love of reading" spark in my child.  For this I will always be indebted to BookEnds.  Now, Dylan has grown from an emerging reader into an avid reader!

At a certain point in kindergarten, Dylan became frustrated with reading and decided to “never” read aloud to others for fear of incorrectly pronouncing words and being ridiculed.   Despite much encouragement, Dylan was content to read simple board books.  Dylan’s need for greater self-confidence led me to home-schooling him in first grade.

Dylans’ older siblings were actively involved in BookEnds book drives and deliveries.   So upon learning that his home-schooling group was planning a book drive, Dylan eagerly wanted to be involved.  He helped advertise, collect, sort, count, and box books for an upcoming donation to a recipient school in Oxnard. 

As delivery day approached, Dylan’s desire to give new life to these books became overshadowed by his increasing discomfort in participating, as he knew a part of the process was reading to the children.  He was encouraged to continue and on delivery day was paired with an older child. Together, they would take turns reading aloud and the older child would be there to support Dylan if he needed it.  The older child began to read to the group. The children quickly became excited and wanted Dylan to read to them too. 

Although apprehensive, Dylan dug deep within, mustered all the courage he had, and slowly reached for one of the books and began to read aloud.  The children smiled with enjoyment and their eyes widened with anticipation, as they listened to Dylan read them the story.  Dylan felt so empowered that day, because he not only was able to see the faces of the children receiving the books, he also was able to read aloud to them and feel their exhilaration.  Upon the urging of the kindergartners, Dylan’s one book became two and then three.  Gone was that fear of mispronouncing the words.  That day, Dylan began his reading journey!

My family had always tried to help BookEnds give the gift of reading to others.  Who knew that this act of giving would result in my own son, Dylan, receiving the greatest gift of all, his own passion to read!

Belinda Sacks
BookEnds Board Member

I was nine years old when I first learned my mother had breast cancer. Suddenly my childhood wasn't filled with sunshine.  I worried who would take care of me.  I loved my mother very much and I didn't like seeing her suffer.  She was ill for fourteen years, most of my childhood years.

I escaped into the world of books.  I read every Nancy Drew mystery around.  I read Charlotte's Web, Treasure Island, Black Beauty, and eventually Ayn Rand's Fountainhead  and more....   For me, reading a book was like having a good friend.  It helped me get through this very difficult period in my life.  I became so involved in the book I was reading that I was able to escape the world around me.

On September 16, 2011 .....my mother would have been 100 years old.  I could think of 100 ways to honor her but BookEnds takes on a special meaning to me.  It touches my heart and makes me smile. BookEnds creates a magical way of getting books to children...and brings a little sunshine into their lives. (just as it did with me).

Therefore, in honor of my mother, I wanted to give to BookEnds.  My mother died at age 58.  However, if she were alive today, I just know she'd be a huge supporter of BookEnds, too.

Carol Zaslow
BookEnds Board Member

So last night I had a dream that I was working the ticket booth at a minor league baseball game. It was awesome. I was a kid again and my childhood friend, Mike Butler, was working the popcorn beat. It was a dream gig.* I had a view of home plate. I didn’t have a single zit. Then, Cal Ripken Jr. comes up to the booth asking for tickets. The Cal Ripken Jr. You know, the guy who broke Lou Gehrig’s Major League Baseball record for 2,130 consecutive games played? The 19-time all-star infielder? The Iron Man? Yeah, well he was older with a pretty healthy gut, but even without the Orioles hat you couldn’t mistake him.

“Whoa, Cal Ripken!”

“Junior.”

“Right.”

“Gimme the best seats you got.”

That’s when I fainted.

Imagination is a wonderful thing. Conscious or not, it can take you to the most fantastic places with the most extraordinary people. And the wonder of imagination isn’t reserved for just children. Dreamers of all ages employ imagination on a regular basis to contemplate realities of which we might not otherwise be aware. Whether contemplating Columbus’ voyage of 1492 or theorizing about how to spend the winnings of that hypothetical lottery ticket, we humans use our imagination to wrap our brains around things that are beyond the realm of our experience.

In viewing imagination as a tool for understanding, we must do our best to encourage it in our children. At BookEnds we have the opportunity to see kids exercise their imagination on a regular basis. When brainstorming how to advertise for his school’s book drive, one 4^th grade student suggested we rent a blimp and fly a large sign along the coast. While as a class we determined that might not be the most cost-effective option available to us, the blimp remained throughout our project a symbol of dreaming big. The students learned to harness that imagination and transform it into success. They collected over 4,000 books. The most in their school’s history.

When in my baseball dream I woke up from fainting, Mike was in the ticket booth with me. We looked down near home plate and saw Cal sitting in the third row. We sat in awe for a moment.

“Dude,” I said. “You know that’s Cal Ripken.”

“He’s really tall.”

“Yeah, his gut was like laying on the window sill.”

“Did you let him in without paying?”

“Yeah. I don’t even know how to work this computer thing.”

Then this little helicopter landed on the dugout and whistled up to the booth. Mike turned to me.

“It’s your ballgame, bro.”

As I left the booth and walked past Mr. Ripken, I gave him a wink. Then, even though I was never much of a pitcher, I grabbed a glove from the chopper and took the mound. The crowd went wild. I wasn’t sure why. But I ended up pitching a perfect game.

Only in dreams.

*Literally and figuratively.

Matt Devine,
BookEnds Program Manager

Yesterday, one of my friends emailed me to find out where she could donate the children's books her sons had long since "outgrown."   Among my circle of friends and their circles of friends, I am the go to person to call with book donations when its time to move, update a bedroom or just make space for the new books that arrive when each school year begins.  I love to receive the calls and emails looking for a place that will breathe life once again into these books that as parents we giggled, laughed, travelled, and sometimes even cried through with our children. 

 During these conversations, my friends and I will talk about how our children have grown, the books they are reading now and how we wish we could jump in a time machine and spend one more night reading - just one more book - to them as toddlers.  We talk about where the books that are donated to BookEnds will go - to children who do not have bookshelves filled with books in their bedrooms or classrooms.  We also talk about how nonsensical it is that there are children in Los Angeles that simply don't have access to books that will foster a love for reading, learning and imagining.  When our conversation is over, we are grateful that these books that shaped our children will have a new classroom of students to inspire.

I hope you too will donate your wonderful, funny, sad, inspiring, crazy children's books to BookEnds.  Just give the office a call 310-478-2665 and arrange for a convenient drop off. 

Wrenn E. Chais, Esq.
BookEnds Board Chair

I relate one of my childhood memories with a sheepish smile:  When I was about 7 years old somehow I became concerned that I would be stranded alone on a deserted island.   I loved my life, my room, my books, my school.   My overwhelming fear was that I’d not be able to replicate, on the island, the quality of life that I enjoyed.  So I became determined to master ALL areas of expertise so that I could single-handedly recreate civilization!

When we launched BookEnds, I realized that I had landed on that island.  But with age had come some wisdom, and I now understand that civilization requires the collective intelligence and actions of all humanity.  BookEnds serves as both a microcosm of civilization as well as a testimonial to the best of our civilization.  Born from a dream of an 8 year-old boy, BookEnds is a community of people who, through a million small acts, transform that dream into our impact of today.

As we launch our new website I am again reminded of what we can do together and cannot do alone.  As you read through our site and learn about our simple and effective program, I urge you to challenge yourself to find your place in BookEnds. I look forward to hearing from you with your thoughts, ideas and interests.  rkeefe@bookends.org

Robin
President and Founder
BookEnds