November 30, 2009 - 8:18pm — myownbook
27,000 BOOKS AND MORE TO GIVE!
It is hard to believe but we've now given out more than 27,000 books! This is truly exciting for us. We have been working hard at keeping the momentum going: we recently ran a "Design Our Volunteer's T-Shirt" contest for all high school and college kids to enter. We got some great designs plus we also picked up new volunteers. In addition, we have recently written the following letter to our local service clubs and elected officials:
Chugging engines, flashing lights, building skyscrapers, dragons and knights. We were lucky to be read to from a very young age about firemen, trains, and construction. We both loved Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel and can still remember laughing over Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Not a night went by that we didn't hear a story or two. Unfortunately not all the children in our city are as lucky as we were.... in fact, more than half of the children living downtown Fairfield are growing up in homes without a single book. Did you know the average middle-school student spends two hours a day playing video games but only seven minutes reading? You can help change this statistic, and change our community. You can help reach out to children and get them excited about reading. We are asking every service club member and public official in Fairfield to donate his or her favorite book this holiday season to My Own Book. In turn, we will have teens from local high schools and Solano Community College read to children in our city and let each child pick a book of their very own. The more books you donate, the more children will be able to enjoy the pleasure of reading. Plus, you'll be giving teens the opportunity to practice public speaking skills, learn empathy and more about our community.
What was the book that made the difference when you were a kid? Please pick up a copy and put your name in the book. You can send us the books or we can stop by and pick them up from you. The important thing is that we get the books into the hands of the children in our community so they can learn the joy of reading, dreaming, and enlarging their world. Together, we can make a difference.
Sincerely,
Kyle and Brady Baldwin