In a world filled with technology and devices, can you imagine seeing a young child get excited about a book? One place I've seen this time and time again is at our book fairs. The joy that these kids exude on book fair day fuels me all year long - I highly recommend volunteering to anyone and everyone I meet. 

If you still need convincing as to why free book fairs matter, let me set the scene. 

Many of the kids we serve have one or zero books at home. Now imagine you're that student and your teacher says there's a book fair at school today! And EVERYONE gets to attend - money isn't an issue today.

You bounce down the hallways, barely able to contain your excitement. You walk into the book fair and see 100s of new books on shelves around the room. You gasp at the beauty of it! The friendly volunteers welcome you in and give you a voucher good for 10 new books. Any 10 books you want! They're yours to keep and read forever.

After many decisions - Pete the Cat? Or Black Panther? Or a joke book? - you head to the register and pay for your new books with the voucher. Just like an adult. You feel pride and an immense sense of ownership. Another volunteer writes your name on a book bag and tells you to find a seat and start reading. 

To own something, especially when you don't own much, carries weight. To own books makes reading fun and encourages kids to read more! Fifty-four percent of the kids who picked out 10 new books liked reading more after participating in our program.

Please help us continue this impactful work and donate today.