June 10, 2020
DFW Book Drive on June 20 – 28 to benefit Mi Escuelita, Readers2Leaders, Reading Partners, and United to Learn
Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy Alumni Spotlight
Guest Author: Seth Block, Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy 2019 - 2020 Cohort
When businesses and city services across Dallas closed because of the COVID-19 outbreak, we wanted to do something to help those affected by the disruptions the pandemic caused. When the City of Dallas made the necessary decision to halt operations of the Dallas Public Library’s 29 branches around the city, children, especially those in lower-income households lost access to much-needed reading materials. Beyond the obvious educational value books have, we also know that books can serve as a much-needed distraction from the challenging environment we are in. When looking for ways we could help during the pandemic, this idea of connecting youth with reading resources resonated with each of us.
The three young leaders behind the book drive are Seth Block, Amit Banerjee, and Bora Laci. Each are involved in various programs around the city: Seth and Amit are alumni of CFT’s Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy program, and Bora serves on the board of SMU Young Alumni, Scottish Rite for Children’s Crayon Club and Union Coffee. We each had access to a social network that had deep connections in the Dallas philanthropic community and worked with these groups to identify the most effective way to provide youth access to books. We ultimately came up with the idea to host a city-wide book drive for the education and literacy nonprofits Mi Escuelita, Readers2Leaders, Reading Partners, and United to Learn. These organizations will then distribute the books directly to the families they serve.
To maximize the benefits of the book drive, we decided to support local businesses in Dallas by having drop-off sites at venues in different neighborhoods around the city. All the participating businesses offered to provide discounts on purchases to anyone who donates to the book drive.
On Saturday, June 20, community members can drop off new or gently used books for pre-K through 5th grade readers in English or Spanish books at the following locations from 12pm to 4pm:
From June 22-June 28, community members can drop off books at the following location from 10:30am-3:00pm:
For those who are unable to stop by the drop-off sites, you’re encouraged to visit our Amazon Wish List and support these organizations by buying a book through the link. Please visit our website for all the details: https://dfwbookdrive.wixsite.com/website
We’re so thankful for the support our nonprofit and host partners have provided while we organized the event, but this also couldn’t have been possible without the support of organizations like Communities Foundation of Texas, SMU Simmons School of Education & Human Development, Her.hq, Kleinert Foundation, Dallas Doing Good, Between the Covers Book Club, Friends of the Dallas Public Library, and Dallas Public Library.
We hope you will join us in helping the kids who are eager to keep reading over the summer by taking part in this book drive. Your donation will directly impact the lives of children in Dallas.
Questions? Contact dfwbookdrive@gmail.com
