BookEnds began with an 8-year-old boy who wanted to make a difference. Simply stated, if it hadn't been for a case of the sniffles, BookEnds would not exist.
Brandon, home from school with a cold, tagged along with his mom, Robin Keefe, founder of BookEnds, to a Board of Directors meeting at Hollygrove Children's Home, so she could keep an eye on him. Hollygrove is a residential treatment center for abused and neglected children where she served as CEO and President. Brandon sat in a corner with his hand-held video game racking up points while half-listening to the adults' discussion of how to build a library for the more than 60 kids who lived at Hollygrove. The adults listed a litany of obstacles to creating a library (e.g., books were too expensive, volunteers were scarce and the budget couldn't be stretched any farther). Brandon, without saying anything to his mom, was already thinking of his own solution.
The next day, his third grade teacher spoke to the class about the value of community service and asked if anyone had any suggestions. Brandon raised his hand exclaiming, "My mom's orphanage needs books!"
Brandon convinced his fellow classmates, "Everybody has books on their shelves that they've outgrown. Why not give the ones we've already read (which were still in good condition) to kids who need them?" Over the next few months Brandon organized a school-wide book drive. With the assistance of his classmates, teachers and school administrators at Willow Elementary School, he distributed flyers, spoke to every class in the school and gave speeches at morning assemblies. Soon they collected 847 new and slightly used books. Their collection included biographies, mysteries, science fiction, fairy tales, picture books, and bestseller series ranging from Goosebumps to Nancy Drew.
On the last day of school before winter vacation, Brandon waited eagerly for his mom to pick him up so he could surprise her with the books. As Robin drove up the school driveway, a grinning Brandon stood on the sidewalk surrounded by dozens of boxes of books and exclaimed, "Merry Christmas Mom!" "That was one of the best days of my life," said Robin.
Community groups joined in the excitement at Hollygrove to develop the new library from an old meeting room. The Los Feliz Woman's Club donated funds to build shelving. The Junior League of Los Angeles donated tables and chairs and decorated the room. Librarians from the John C. Fremont Public Library catalogued the books to create a lending library from the collection and volunteers were trained on how to teach children to read. Even an old book cart was donated and restored and now volunteers fill it each night with books, wheeling it into the cottages to tuck the children into bed with a book.
If children are to learn how to read they need books. Brandon's success inspired Robin to believe that other students could make a tremendous impact on their community just like Brandon. The model Brandon created for BookEnds is about Student-to-Student Solutions for Literacy. Brandon did not just donate his own used books to Hollygrove, but took it a step further by enlisting his fellow classmates in a community service project. Student involvement is what differentiates BookEnds from other literacy programs. Through Brandon's vision and advocacy, he increased opportunities for literacy in children who otherwise would not have any books. Brandon continues to be a critical catalyst in the development of BookEnds by acting as the public spokesperson.
Beginning with a young boy's courage to make a difference, driven by passion and leadership, and fueled by students eager to help one another, BookEnds has grown to be a vital solution to one of Southern California's most pressing concerns: lack of books for our children to learn to read.
