Mission Statement
* To purchase books by raising funds through auctions, sales of merchandise and other available means* To provide books to libraries, schools and other institutions in need* To provide books to low income children through established institutions* To foster a love for reading in all children* To encourage reading among reluctant readers* To encourage the discovery of excellent, lesser known books* To look for new ideas to encourage childhood literacy and make thoseideas knownKids Need to Read is a children’s literacy foundation established by the author of
The Softwire
series, PJHaarsma, and actor Nathan Fillion. Kids Need to Read sells special donation packages, the profits of whichare used to buy books for struggling schools and libraries. Money is also raised through weekly auctions,which have proven very popular among fans of
Firefly
/
Serenity
and science fiction, as well as literacyadvocates. A Cafepress store selling literacy themed merchandise and “Kindness is a Strength” itemshelps raise additional funds for Kids Need to Read.The Foundation is supported by a global group of passionate volunteers. Some of these volunteers areresponsible for hand making and mailing out hundreds of free Kids Need to Read buttons to individuals,families, teachers and convention-goers. These free button giveaways have become well-known and highlypopular.Kids Need to Read was founded in August 2007 and began by donating Mr. Haarsma’s book,
The Softwire:Virus on Orbis 1
, to libraries and schools. Two more authors joined Kids Need to Read in November 2007as contributing supporters to the original project. The new contributors are Frank Beddor, author of
TheLooking Glass Wars
trilogy and Robin Brande, author of
Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature
. Theseauthors donate packages to the Kids Need to Read auctions to benefit the organization.Kids Need to Read now donates from an official book list that includes a variety of well-reviewed titles forpreschool to teenaged children. The Foundation especially strives to donate books that appeal to reluctantreaders. The Kids Need to Read Book List was created by Faith Hochhalter. Ms. Hochhalter has been theChildren's Book Buyer for Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, AZ for four years. Changing HandsBookstore was the winner of Publishers Weekly Best Bookstore of the Year 2007.Whenever possible, unused returns are bought with the funds raised by Kids Need to Read, rather thanfirst sale books. These are brand new books; however, the authors and publishers do not receive credit forsales on returns. Since royalties are not paid on these books, Kids Need to Read’s donation dollars buymore books for children.
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