ABOUT US
"There is no substitute for books in the life of a child."
Mary Ellen Chase
Mary Ellen Chase
In June of 2016, I took my two sons and several friends across town to read books to kids. Our first visit was to the park behind Mesa Verde Elementary. We read to 8 kids that day and let them each choose a book to keep out of our box of about 100 used books. For reasons I couldn't explain at the time, it felt really important that we give the books away without any conditions. The kids were so happy and thankful and enjoyed looking through all of them to pick their favorite. It was a wonderful experience, but we ended up putting 92 books back in my car and driving them across town to sit in my garage again. On that drive home, something happened in my heart. It dawned on me how many of our children struggle with food insecurity and how difficult it is for families with low-income to keep up with clothing needs and medical care. Many of our students are sharing a bed or a couch with siblings. What in the world made me think that they have bookshelves full of children’s books?? Even as a local elementary teacher (and reading specialist) I had never given very much thought to the lack of access to children’s books for families in need or what that gap in access meant for their future.
The research we've done since we began has confirmed the reality that the gap in book ownership is not only real for our local kids, but it has tragic and long-lasting consequences. The fact is, children growing up in homes without books are on average 3 years behind children in homes with lots of books. The most successful way to improve the reading achievement of low-income children is to increase their access to print. Newman, Sanford, et all. “American’s Child Care Crisis: A Crime Prevention Tragedy”; Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2000 (Click on Why This Matters to see related statistics.)
Storybridge is a grass-roots effort to change the story for our local kids by investing in their access to literacy as early as possible.
The model is simple:
At Storybridge, we believe that:
Thanks to the participation of people like you, we have put over 165,000 books straight into the hands and homes of local children who need them most. Together we are committed that all children in our city should have the books they need at home to be successful in school!
Do you desire to make a difference for children with big dreams? Imagine what you can do to help, contact us, and let us help you make it happen!
- Chandra Perkins, Founder/Director of Storybridge
Storybridge is a grass-roots effort to change the story for our local kids by investing in their access to literacy as early as possible.
The model is simple:
- Collect new and gently used books donated by our community
- Purchase books with donated dollars
- Sort all books by age groups
- Redistribute to kids in need through strategic programs (Storybridge Free Book Fairs, Born to Read 806, Little Free Libraries, and Lit Babies)
At Storybridge, we believe that:
- EDUCATION is the only viable bridge out of poverty.
- LITERACY is the vein through which all education is delivered and the ultimate equalizer.
- TOGETHER we can and must get books into their homes and into their hands - as many as we can and at the earliest possible opportunity!
- When we do, we make early literacy accessible, we make school easier from the beginning, we throw a wrench in the cycle of poverty, and WE CAN CHANGE THE STORY for thousands of our children.
Thanks to the participation of people like you, we have put over 165,000 books straight into the hands and homes of local children who need them most. Together we are committed that all children in our city should have the books they need at home to be successful in school!
Do you desire to make a difference for children with big dreams? Imagine what you can do to help, contact us, and let us help you make it happen!
- Chandra Perkins, Founder/Director of Storybridge