Hurricane Relief Books Reach the Bahamas

Over a thousand books and school supplies donated by Reader to Reader have reached the Bahamas, where they will help restock schools destroyed by Hurricane Joaquin in October 2015.

We are very happy with the response:

"There is an amazing assortment of books from your group!"

Hurricane Joaquin, which at its peak had wind speeds of 155 MPH, was only the 20th Category 4 or 5 hurricane to impact the island nation in historical records dating all the way back to 1851.

Schools were severely damaged with many losing all their books, computers, furniture and school supplies.

Many homes were completely destroyed, with 87% of the homes on Crooked Island totally destroyed.

We are pleased to be part of the relief effort, and are continuing to ship textbooks, fiction and nonfiction for all grades, and school supplies.

2,500 Books for Maine Children

SANFORD, MAINE - Thousands of low-income children in York County will be taking home new children’s books, thanks to Reader to Reader, a literacy organization based in Massachusetts.

The books were donated to York County Community Action, located on Spruce Street in Sanford. YCCAC will distribute the books to low-income children of all ages in the area.

In all, Reader to Reader is donating 2,500 new books with a total value of $25,000.

The books are being provided by Reader to Reader through its partnerships with Scholastic Corporation through their The Scholastic Possible Fund, Pioneer Valley Press and several other leading publishers.

"Reader to Reader's generous donations of multiple shipments of books have allowed us to offer books to all of our 2,000-plus children that we serve, as well as their older siblings," said Jennifer Quimby, the WIC Program Director at York County Community Action.

David Mazor, the founder and executive director of Reader of Reader, made sure to get the books to YCCAC in time for Christmas.

"We are pleased to make this large donation just before the holidays in order to get books into children’s hands that they can enjoy over winter vacation," he said in a press release a few days before the holiday.

Reader to Reader has a long history of donating books to school and outreach programs in Maine, and has donated over $200,000 in books during the past decade. Based in Amherst, Massachusetts, Reader to Reader, Inc. is a non-profit organization that distributes books and computers to schools and libraries in need. It has donated over 5 million books to schools and libraries in need across the United States and in 19 countries.

Books for Students on the Red Lake Nation

Students at Red Lake High School, on the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota, enjoy their Reader to Reader book donation.

Reader to Reader runs multiple program that support Native American students all across the United States.

Books on the Way to The Bahamas for Hurricane Relief

Hurricane Joaquin, which missed the U.S. mainland in early October, did terrible damage to the Bahamas, especially the country's southern islands.

Hurricane Joaquin, which at its peak had wind speeds of 155 MPH, was only the 20th Category 4 or 5 hurricane to impact the island nation in historical records dating all the way back to 1851.

Schools were severely damaged with many losing all their books, computers, furniture and school supplies.

Many homes were completely destroyed, with 87% of the homes on Crooked Island totally destroyed.

We are pleased to be part of the relief effort, and we are already shipping boxes of books and school supplies.

Hope of Haiti Project Continues to Aid Haiti School

Haeinn Woo, the founder of the Hope of Haiti project, recently brought books from Reader to Reader and funds raised by Mt. Holyoke students to the school that is supported in Haiti.

Hope of Haiti is one of eight international projects created and supported through Reader to Reader’s Springboard Program.

Since being established after Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake, Hope of Haiti has donated books, school supplies and paid teachers’ salaries in order to further education in Haiti.

About the Springboard Program

The Springboard Program brings Five College students into the world of non-profit work through the development and implementation of their own international or domestic literacy project. Springboard guides students through the entire process, teaching them the skills necessary to lead their own literacy project and giving them unparalleled leadership opportunity.

Past Springboard projects have included building a public library in a coffee farming village in Costa Rica, establishing a school to teach women to read in Nigeria, and expanding a special education program in the Dominican Republic.

If you are interested in learning more about the Springboard Program please click here.

Meet Jeanette Ortega, Reader to Reader Navajo Nation Outreach Coordinator

Reader to Reader’s amazing Navajo Nation Outreach Coordinator Jeannette Ortega helps high school students on the Navajo Nation prepare for ACT/SAT tests, college applications, and making the transition to college life.  Here she is in her classroom at Wingate High School, Ft. Wingate, New Mexico.

Reader to Reader’s work on the Navajo Nation is funded in part by the Fordham Street Foundation, Lynn & Jean Miller, and the Hiatt Family Foundation.

This our fourth year having a full-time staff person based on the Navajo Nation, and  just like the Outreach Coordinators that preceded her, Jeannette is doing a spectacular job of helping students prepare for college.

Jeanette is a 2015 graduate of Amherst College, and previously worked as a summer intern for Reader to Reader in 2014.

Reader to Reader in Hurricane Relief Effort for Bahamas Schools

Hurricane Joaquin, which missed the U.S. mainland in early October, did terrible damage to the Bahamas, especially the country’s southern islands.

Schools were severely damaged with many losing all their books, computers, furniture and school supplies. 

We are pleased to be part of the relief effort, and we are already shipping boxes of books. 

Please contact us if you would like to help. Email us at info@readertoreader.org.