First Book Blog

Minnesota Program Expands Library and Reading Program With 274 New Books from First Book

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The Page Education Foundation is a local nonprofit based in Minneapolis that helps young people from low-income families get to college, through financial assistance and mentoring. Those young people become Page Education Foundation Scholars, and the program requires them to commit to giving back by mentoring other kids in the... Read more

A Click of the Mouse = A Book to a Kid!

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If you grew up with books of your own at home, you know what a powerful impact they had on your life. But kids from low-income families typically have no books of their own at home, and few, if any, in their classrooms. You can imagine the impact THAT has.... Read more

Happy Halloween!

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For the seventh year running, the staff of First Book journeyed to Ben’s Chili Bowl, a D.C. landmark, to celebrate Halloween, display their costumes, and eat half smokes. We hope you have a spooky and spectacular Halloween! Read more

A Beauty Queen's Passion for Literacy

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Today’s guest blog post comes from Jessica Terrill. Miss Terrill is Miss Mississippi State University and a communication major with an emphasis in broadcasting. I’ve always been a dreamer.  Since a very young age, my parents encouraged me to dream big and to truly believe in those dreams and my ability... Read more

Wanted: West Virginia Volunteers

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First Book has been working hard to get new books to West Virginia kids this year. We distributed over 300,000 books to children from low-income families, and we joined forces with the American Federation of Teachers to ensure that those kids have access to an ongoing supply of new books.... Read more

Kyle Zimmer Talks to the Washington Post About Innovation, Doing What You Love, and the Importance of Failure

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First Book president and co-founder Kyle Zimmer sat down for a long talk with Emi Kolawole, a writer for the Washington Post’s new Innovations section. They’ve been posting a series of video excerpts from the discussion throughout the week. How do you overcome failure?: The importance of failure, and how... Read more

First Book Wants You!

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Does your job involve getting books to kids? IT TOTALLY COULD. We need hard-working, talented people to join us at First Book! We’re looking for … entrepreneurs with a passion for our mission, a wide range of talents and superior written and verbal communication skills. We’re looking for people with... Read more

Make Your Mark Week! Pledge to Read Books and First Book Will Donate Five New Books

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It’s Make Your Mark Week! The fine folks at generationOn host this annual event to inspire and mobilize young people to use their energy, ingenuity and compassion to make their mark on the world through hands-on service. During Make Your Mark Week, young people focus on issues that matter most... Read more

California Dreamin'

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What makes for a successful book distribution? A spacious warehouse, enthusiastic partners, and amazing volunteers. Our latest distribution in Stockton, California had all three! Over 50 fantastic volunteers, many recruited through Stockton’s Chamber of Commerce, came out to help distribute over 150,000 books. The work was intense: beautiful, large pop-up... Read more

Boston Cares

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Today’s guest blog post comes from Patrice Keegan, the executive director of Boston Cares. Boston Cares mobilizes more than 25,000 volunteers annually in support of Greater Boston schools and non-profit agencies As part of Boston Cares’ 9/11 Remember & Serve initiative, we developed a series of volunteer service projects to benefit Boston Public... Read more