Books for Kids Foundation

Annual Fundraisers: Each year Books for Kids conducts two major fundraising events. In coordination with "New York is Book Country" in September, Books for Kids and The Plaza Hotel host a Children's Book and Author breakfast with readings and book signings from famous authors. Tickets range between $50-125. In December, Books for Kids hosts "Holiday of Fifth", a cocktail reception and silent auction - wonderful for early holiday shopping and for learning more about the foundation. Gift bidding ranges from $50-$1,000 or more; the ticket price is $100.

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Book Drives: Families and organizations of all kinds assist Books for Kids with book drives each year that reach out to businesses and communities for the donation of age-appropriate new books to be given to the libraries it establishes. The foundation can also offer guidance on establishing and managing a book drive to optimize success and the rewards associated with giving.

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Charitable Donations: A 501(c) 3 organization, the Books for Kids Foundation accepts monetary gifts, as well as products and services that enable the organization to fulfill its mission of promoting children's literacy. Eighty-five cents of every dollar donated goes directly to program support. Donations in the form of products for the establishment of libraries are also extremely helpful in creating a quality reading environment. Key items include books, bulletin boards, rugs/carpeting, computers, educational games and CD players. All items (with the possible exception of computers) must be new. Individuals interested in giving any of these items should call the Books for Kids office for further information.

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Gifts in Honor Of: Birthdays, arrival of a new child, weddings, anniversaries, bar/bat mitzvahs and other milestones or memorials may be commemorated through a donation of cash or cash equivalents to Books for Kids in honor of the individual(s) recognized - offering one of the most meaningful ways to mark an important occasion. The names of the donors and the individuals honored will appear in Books for Kids' listings of supporters in the foundation's official material.

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Magic Pennies: A favorite program, Magic Pennies was developed by the first grade class of the All Day School in Manhattan to help Books for Kids. The children save their "magic pennies" and when they have enough they select a wonderful book to buy for the children served by Books for Kids. Each book they donate comes with a bookplate designating that it is a gift from the children of the All Day School.

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Read-a-Thons: The children of the Hackley School in Westchester hold an annual read-a-thon benefiting Books for Kids. Parents, grandparents and friends make monetary donations for every book their child finishes. The event not only encourages participating youngsters to read, but also inspires their volunteer efforts on behalf of other children. Community organizations or schools can organize a read-a-thon to benefit Books for Kids.

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Volunteering Time: Books for Kids can direct interested literacy volunteers to schools, social service agencies and other institutions to participate in established reading programs or to assist with establishing new ones. Volunteers can also help set up libraries (decorating assistance, transporting books to library sites) or assist at "warehouse days" (providing transportation to agencies, delivering books to needed sites, helping agencies select books at the warehouse). Books for Kids also needs plenty of helping hands at its library openings and fundraising events throughout the year.

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