With the world being a difficult place for those of any marginalized background, one of the things those of us who are looking to do something can do is donate to those in need. Thousands of teachers each year ask for a little help with seeking supplies for their classrooms via Donors Choose; organizations that do work with at-risk communities like prison populations seek spare change to advocate for and bring literacy to those groups; and nonprofits that provide necessary resources to empower women and people of color are always hoping for a few bucks to make their vital work possible.
Enter: Friday Fund Days.
Book Riot readers have helped fund hundreds of classrooms over the last few years, and we’ll help bring funds to hundreds more. Each Friday, we’ll highlight two classrooms or other literacy-focused, important projects in hopes you’ll help them reach their goals to bring literature, advocacy, and education to others.
Even if you can’t spare money, any social sharing you can offer to the projects each week absolutely helps: you never know who’ll find it and have the means by which to make the project’s fundraising goals reached. More, you’ll bring awareness to the unmet needs in communities around the world, as well as right in your own back yard.
When all else feels hard or hopeless, remember that you can and do make a difference.
This Week’s Projects
1. Help me Build a Classroom Library, Book by Book! San Francisco, California ($211)
The Project
“I’m asking for three copies of four excellent books: The Poet X, The Fountains of Silence, Five Feet Apart, and Paper Girls Volume 6. By devoting part of the curriculum to independent reading, students can choose what they read instead of having a teacher assign them a book. I have witnessed a reading resurgence with this idea. I’m excited about this new approach, and so are my students.
My students have already begun to reclaim their love of reading, and they’re ready to take the next step.
Reading has re-introduced my students to the power of story. My students have more empathy now because they take on the lives and struggles of the characters in their books. My students also have more calm now because of the mindfulness necessary to leave their world to enter another. Most of all, my students are more independent now because they understand that stories and texts can help them find answers on their own.”
More than half of the students attending this school come from low-income households. 80% of the students will be the first in their families to attend college.
Click here to donate to Ms. L’s classroom.
2. Enlarge the Worlds of Many Children with Beautiful Diverse Books, Providence, Rhode Island ($287)
The Project
“Each book requested in this project was carefully thought about and chosen because it either encouraged healthy social emotional growth, such as the book A Little SPOT of Anxiety: A Story About Calming Your Worries by Diane Alber, celebrated cultural diversity, such as Bippity Bop Barbershop by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley, or is from a high interest character chapter book series such as Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor.
My students love to read, read, read! They read during ‘IDR’ which is Independent Daily Reading time, we share books together as a whole group, and it would be great to add the emotion themed books to our calm corner, where children go to have time and space to themselves to self-regulate and focus on their feelings.
It would mean so much to all of us to be able to add these new books to our classroom library for all of the children to share now and for all my future students to have access to.”
Nearly all the students in this classroom are from low-income households. The second graders in Ms. Quattrucci’s classroom are culturally diverse and have many special needs and special talents.
Click here to donate to Ms. Quattrucci’s classroom.
The lives of students can be impacted by your generosity; donating to or simply sharing their classroom needs on social media can make such a huge difference. Thank you for being part of their learning journey.