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March Update - What a Lot of Books We Gave Away!

March came in like a lion and continues to roar here at First Book San Francisco.   We kicked off Read Across America month with our first ever Books On Wheels event, sponsored by Sports Basement, UESF and a whole host of other kind folk who donated time, food, banners and cash for us to put on this amazing event.  Thanks to our truckload of books from First Book HQ, we gave away 42, 561 books to around 2000 recipient groups.  We had a great write up in the San Francisco Chronicle too!

Have a look at our album of photos from the event on our Facebook page.  And here are a few choice ones.

The truck arrives!

Ken Tray of UESF pleased with the turnout!

90 volunteers helped to distribute the books

People came from daycare centers, libraries and schools.

Recipients lined up outside Sports Basement on Bryant Street

We continued our partnership with Sports Basement  and Charity Madness. What's that you ask?   Every year the NCAA basketball "March Madness" tournament captivates the nation with underdogs and buzzer beaters. Two years ago, leveraging this excitement, Sports Basement unveiled their "Charity Madness" tournament. Here's how it works: There are 4 divisions with 6-8 charities (or charity groups). Charities then encourage their supporters to mention their charity at Sports Basement's registers. The customer receives a 10% discount and the charity receives a 10% revenue share. The most funds raised wins that week's match up. "Losers" get a nice check for the funds they raised, "Winners" get to keep fundraising for an even bigger check. Everybody wins! Last year participating charities raised $39,142.

And that's not all!  We're also gearing up for Dia de Los Ninos San Francisco on April 6th. We're continuing our commitment to this wonderful day for Children and Books, celebrating reading and the pleasure of reading.

Read on friends, and keep supporting First Book San Francisco!

Books on Wheels - Saturday March 1st, 2014 at 9am

Thanks to First Book HQ, we're giving away 40,000 books FREE to  those who work with underserved communities in the Bay Area.   We've been asked some questions, so here come the answers:

What is it?:  40,000 FREE children's books to be given away

When is it? : Kick off at 9am on Saturday, March 1st

Where?  Sports Basement on Bryant St in San Francisco. Here's a map to help you get there.

Can anyone get free books?  No.  The books will be given to educators, community organisations and anyone who works with children and families where 70% of the population is considered 'low income'.  

Great! How do I sign up?  All recipients must register for the event before you arrive.  You can sign up on the First Book HQ website here:  www.firstbook.org/register/sanfran

Who is organising this? First Book San Francisco's Local Advisory Board is working in partnership with FirstBook National, Sports Basement, the American Federation of Teachers and United Educators of San Francisco.

Anything else I need to know? Yes!  Sports Basement is giving all recipients 10% off on purchases that day AND giving First Book San Francisco 10% from all sales - that's a LOT of books for kids who don't have any. 

So don't forget to register so we can contact you to let you know when to come and see you on March 1st.  Happy Reading!

We're Giving Away Free Books - Register Now

If you work with underserved kids and families who need books in their homes, or your program or school needs to expand its library - we have an event for you.   We are looking for 2300 recipient groups to sign up to receive FREE books on March 1st, when we receive our Books on Wheels from First Book National.

 

We've teamed up with Sports Basement and First Book  to bring 40,000 brand new books to children in need across San Francisco on March 1^st at the Sports Basement store on Bryant Street.  To help make this happen, we first need you to register with First Book here: www.firstbook.org/register/sanfran

Not only will you receive free books, Sports Basement is offering attendees 10% off purchases, plus will give 10% back to First Book on purchases that day.

First Book is an international nonprofit social enterprise dedicated to working with educators, paraprofessionals, and program leaders like you to provide brand new, free and low-cost books to kids from low-income families. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 100 million new books to thousands of schools and community programs nationwide that work directly with children in need.  

Signing up with First Book is free, and a great resource for you and the children you serve. The brand new books you can receive for free at this distribution are just the beginning!  You’ll also receive 10% off all purchases from Sports Basement on the day.

Once signed up, you will have ongoing access to free books through the First Book National Book Bank, and low-cost books through the First Book Marketplace. Closer to the book distribution event, you will receive emails with more information about this special initiative in San Francisco. 

To bring the truck of books to San Francisco, we need at least 2,000 area educators to sign up, so share this information with friends and colleagues you know who are serving children in need. Encourage them to sign up – we have books for them too!

Thanks for all the work you do to support the children in your community, and for helping to bring 40,000 new books to the Bay Area’s children!  If you have questions or need assistance, please contact First Book at sanfrancisco_ca@firstbook.org.

Happy Reading!  

A Truckload of 40,000 Books Coming Our Way on March 1st!

Do you work with underserved kids who need books in their homes?  Does your program need to expand your library?

We're very excited to announce that on March 1st, First Book San Francisco will be getting a Truckload of Books from the First Book national organization for distribution to recipient groups.  Working with Sports Basement, that means we've got 40,000 books to give away for FREE!


If you are a recipient group and want to pick up free books for your libraries or classrooms,  register here to join us on March 1st at Sports Basement. Not only will you receive free books, Sports Basement is offering attendees 10% off the day of our Truckload of Books event and will also give 10% back to First Book from purchases that day! 

Or maybe you'd like to help First Book San Francisco by being one of our much needed sponsors? Send us an email and join Sports Basement and others who have already pledged to be part of this amazing event!  Or just join us in helping promote literacy among children who need it by donating to First Book San Francisco. 

Watch this space for updates and news about the event!

Up On Top - Hope, Stability and Fun for All

Part of FirstBook SF's Advisory Board, Up On Top is a tuition-free after-school and eight-week summer program working with underserved children from K-5th Grade living primarily in the Tenderloin and Western Addition neighborhoods of San Francisco. 

Up On Top supports families by providing children with safe and enriching after-school and summer programs.  Here, we speak to Luanne Schulte, a speech pathologist and volunteer at Up On Top.

How did Up On Top come to life? 

We opened our doors in 2001 in response to the shifts in federal welfare.

How many staff and volunteers do you have?  

Up On Top has four Administrative Staff, seven Program Leaders and 40 Volunteers, serving 110 families.

Who attends Up On Top programs? 

Our target population is children from low-income families who attend the Tenderloin Community School a public school, serving the Tenderloin and Western Addition neighborhoods respectively.  Both of these areas have significant minority populations living with income levels far below the median for San Francisco families.    

Why is childhood literacy so important to these communities?

Students in low-income, high-need communities are three times more likely to drop out of high school than their more affluent peers; they are often not reading/writing up to grade level and by the time they enter high school they are two years behind. Up On Top infuses literacy into all activities in our After School program and in our eight-week summer program. 

Our summer program, focuses on preventing summer learning slide. Every morning credentialed teachers and our program leaders work with the children to encourage them to become joyful readers.  At the end of our summer program in 2012 the children were tested and 93% of the children either improved their reading or stayed where they were at the end of the previous school year. The children can also go to the nearby public library where they can take out books.

What sort of support do you provide for children who need extra help?

For many of the children, who attend Up On Top, English is not their first language so it is doubly important that they receive additional support in English reading and writing. For the children who struggle more than others Up On Top has trained volunteers who provide one-to-one support both after school and in the summer.  We offer a wide variety of activities, healthy snacks, structured play and literacy skill boosting fun - all in a safe environment for families who are in desperate need of after-school and summer care programs.

Tell us about some of the children at Up On Top.

Elvis is one of our 4th graders, who has attended Up On Top since kindergarten. Both of Elvis’s parents speak Spanish fluently with very little English. Elvis has progressed from a below basic student in reading/writing and everyday math  to performing at grade level in math and proficient in ELA (English Language Arts).

If there was one thing you could say to a potential donor, what would it be?

Up On Top infuses literacy throughout all program areas so students are learning, growing and developing skills each day to be successful in school and in life. By giving to Up On Top, we can help students in our community have access to the same information and resources as their more affluent peers and will offer the same opportunities for the future.  Come along and see what we're about!

BookPALS

In our continuing series of interviews with our FirstBook community, we chat with Lynne Maes the Program Coordinator for the San Francisco chapter of BookPALS.

Founded in 1993 by Barbara Bain, BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools) is a national all-volunteer program comprised of performing artists who read aloud to students in public elementary schools and shelters. Through the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Foundation, BookPALS has 5 chapters nationwide, including San Francisco, which serves children all over the Bay Area. This year marks the 15 year anniversary of the San Francisco chapter of BookPALS.


FB: What is your mission?
LM: The mission of BookPALS, a community outreach program, is to stimulate interest in reading and writing and encourage children and families to read and write on their own; to awaken young imaginations; to enrich vocabularies; to open the doors to a broader, richer landscape; to help children and families visualize themselves in other realities, and to inspire and motivate children and families to communicate and to listen. The Screen Actors Guild Foundation is an education, humanitarian and philanthropic non-profit organization. The SAG Foundation administers BookPALS, and is funded solely by contributions from private and corporate organizations and individual donations.

FB: How many staff and volunteers do you have? 
LM: We have ONE staff person, and 75+ AWESOME volunteers; we also have tremendous support from our community partners, who make my work life easier and more fulfilling!

FB: Who comes to you for support?
LM: BookPALS can really go anywhere children gather regularly. The bulk of our work is done in schools in underserved communities. We have a strong relationship with homeless shelters in SF, where BookPALS have been integrated into children’s programming.

FB: Why is childhood literacy so important to these communities?

LM: The children we serve are children who are likely to have arrived in Kindergarten at a disadvantage—their middle class peers have likely enjoyed many hours of read aloud and exposure to books with caring adults, while children whose families experience economic and other stresses do not have equal access and opportunity. The research shows that the disadvantage compounds over time, so there is a clear link to high school drop out rates and reading below grade level at 4th grade (which is directly linked to K academic readiness).


FB: If there was one thing you could say to a potential donor, what would it be?
LM: All children deserve the opportunity to be equally ready for success in school and beyond: this means putting books into their hands, and empowering the caring adults in their lives to foster the love of learning and reading that helps each child reach their potential.

FB: What's a ‘normal’ day for you at BookPALS?
LM: On any given day, I spend a good deal of time corresponding via email, meeting in person, and speaking on the phone to recruit, place, and support volunteer readers. I make many site visits each week, supporting readers and teachers to partner effectively on a weekly basis. I work as a BookPAL as well, reading in two elementary schools and one head start!

Throughout the year, I educate and train new readers about the importance of childhood literacy, and how they can most effectively support the kids they are serving. This year we put on our PreK Powow!—a special training for readers working with the youngest children.

I help plan and execute special events at least once a month—we hold regular readings at homeless shelters, Children’s Fairyland in Oakland, and yearly events such at RAA, KQED’s Ready to Learn Fun Fair, and Literacy workshops at the SAG-AFTRA Northern California Local.


FB: How does BookPALS work with FirstBook San Francisco?
LM: BookPALS’ relationship with First Book allows us to leverage our budget to provide books to children in need.  We have families who have experienced the terrible stress of homelessness.  One of the children that was given books from BookPALS was so transfixed he stopped opening presents and immediately became engrossed in the story.

 Even in the midst of a big celebration at the housing shelter, he dropped everything to read. This is what First Book and BookPALS are about—putting books into the hands of kids, and building the motivation & desire to read!!