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Michael Dolores

Mar 15
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This Is Why I Will Happily Compete in Book Drive for Kids’ Adult Spelling Bee Every Year

By Fundraising

This Is Why I Will Happily Compete in Book Drive for Kids’ Adult Spelling Bee Every Year

By Steve Gamel

I must admit I was a little apprehensive when Book Drive for Kids’ Co-Founder and Executive Director Michelle Cook asked me if I’d compete in their inaugural Adult Spelling Bee on March 4. Don’t get me wrong; I am all about stepping up for a local charity — especially if that charity’s mission is to get books into the hearts and homes of needy children. 

Not to mention, I’m a writer and editor by trade! Independent reading … writing … grammar … spelling … literacy … these are my JAM.

But competing in a spelling bee?! Standing in front of all those people — most of whom know what I do for a living? That’s pressure — even for an Uber-competitive person like me. I don’t think I’ve been in a spelling bee since the 3rd grade, but like most people I know in this community, it’s really hard to say “no” to Michelle. She and fellow BDK co-founder Nicol Klingenstein are the sweetest people. They’re in this for the right reasons, and as I learned about their history, mission, and plans for the future, saying “yes” was a no-brainer. 

Full disclosure: My team didn’t win. 

Also, full disclosure: I spelled all my words correctly!

But I’m here to tell you that I will absolutely do this again next year — and the year after that, and the year after that, and so on.

Why? Because it doesn’t matter who wins an adult spelling bee. Sure, it was fun getting up there and watching everyone (myself included) spell words like acquiesce, inexhaustible, amphibious, cinnamon, archaic, remembrance, etc., off the top of their heads. But the real winners from an event like that are the kids. The event hauled in $13,900, including a $3,500 grant from the Elk’s National Foundation. That’s huge, as the money raised will support future free book fairs and other initiatives. The organization has interacted with nearly 20,000 children at free book fairs this school year alone. Since 2017, they’ve donated over 150,000 books to nearly 66,000 students at nearly 100 events in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and their reach extends to places like Austin, Houston, and South Texas.

I could tell immediately that all 120 people in attendance that night at Elk’s Lodge in Grapevine believed in what Book Drive for Kids was doing. And just like me, they’ll be back — and they’ll bring more friends, too.

So, Who Won the Adult Spelling Bee?

The adult spelling bee pitted six sponsored teams of three against each other for the championship and other top honors. There were two flights, with the winning team from each flight squaring off in the title round later that evening. 

When the dust settled, Spelling Bee Bee 556 (Lois Kim, Mike Kirkpatrick, and Jessie Nair) won the event after narrowly edging the Hip-Bees (Lanette Frost, Melissa Cheshier, and Ashley Williams) in the finals. Third place went to Highway to Spell (Steve Gamel, Crystal Foster, and Buddy Bonner), which won the “Most Fans” award. The Gatsby Grammarians (Sydney Stauffer, Brad Deitzen, and Äugenae Davenport) won the “Best Costume” award.

Team sponsors included BbK Services 556, Regions Bank, Mantiki Solutions, LLC, ResponsiveEd, Swag Angels, and Puro Clean.

Look Out for Information on Next Year’s Event!

If you didn’t get a chance to attend this year, the good news is that Book Drive for Kids is already working on a follow-up event for next year.  I even joked with Michelle at a meeting a few days later that she may need to find a bigger venue in the years to come — to which we both said, “That would be a great problem to have.” As usual, the stakes next year will be higher, the laughs will be side-splitting, and the opportunity to get more books into kids’ hands in Denton County and beyond will be plentiful.

Thanks for reading!

For more information, including ways to donate, volunteer, or participate in next year’s adult spelling bee, visit bookdriveforkids.com.

 

Nov 04
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Usborne Books & More Virtual Book Fair

By What's Happening

Hello Friends and Supporters,

Our Virtual Book Fair with Usborne Books & More benefitting Book Drive for Kids is happening again and it starts today!

When you purchase books through Usborne Books & More, not only are you purchasing quality books for children, but 50% of your retail purchase helps our organization to earn free books to use in our free book fairs for kids in underserved areas.  Whether you purchase books for your family and friends or you purchase books to donate, Book Drive for Kids will earn additional books for free.

How does this work? Since it’s a Virtual Book Fair, you shop online.

  1. Use this link to access the website: www.williamsbookreads.com.
  2. Click the “Shop” button. If prompted, be sure to select the “Book Drive 4 Kids 2022” event so that we will get credit for your purchase.
  3. Shop for books, puzzles, or activities. Add your selections to the cart.
  4. Add your customer information and shipping information to your cart
  5. Add your payment

That’s it! If you choose to do so, you may ship your donated books directly to us at Book Drive for Kids, Attention: Michelle Cook, 1301 Water’s Ridge, Lewisville, TX 75057

Due to shipping inflation, Usborne Books & More recently changed their shipping rates. The good news is that the more you purchase, the lower your shipping rate. Please view the details below:

If you missed participating last year, please consider shopping this week. Shop early for the holidays while benefiting Book Drive for Kids! We are grateful for your support!

Sep 15
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Books “Fly Like an Eagle” thanks to a local Eagle Service Project

By General No Comments

“I want to share the power of literacy to kids in underprivileged communities. Learning to read and write will allow these kids to have more opportunities in life.”
– Camden McGregor, Eagle Scout Troop 842

A significant project lay ahead for Camden! The Eagle Scout Service Project.

After years of earning merit badges, doing service projects, and learning survival and nature skills, Camden McGregor was now ready for the project to crown all projects…his Eagle Scout Service Project. It took months to research organizations, brainstorm ideas, and finally, to select a project that represents something dear to his own heart. He decided literacy and books was it.

When Camden reached out to Book Drive for Kids, we had just heard about Young Living Stones, a group based in Del Rio, Texas, that was working with both kids and adults on both sides of the border.  As the pandemic unfolded, Young Living Stones started supporting area teachers who were offering tutoring programs as schools nearly halted for many families, exacerbating the already low education levels and needs for family income. To build reading skills, children must have books!  Book Drive for Kids immediately sent books, both in Spanish and English, to support these efforts and we connected Camden with Young Living Stones to provide additional help.

Camden soon got to work. He led several volunteer teams in fundraising via community car wash, building four bookshelves for the tutoring program, and conducting a month-long book drive. He was able to donate $550 for new books and 1,000 gently used books to fill those shelves. As Providence would have it, Shon Young from Young Living Stones was in Dallas for an event just one week after Camden finished his project so the gift presentation was in-person.

When Camden presented his gifts to Shon, he inspired others at the event to give an additional $500 for new books in Spanish.  You can imagine the excitement for all of us at Book Drive for Kids and Young Living Stones as these books travel to the border so that these children will “have more opportunities in life” just as Camden hoped.

You may not have an Eagle Project to complete, but you can get involved, too.
Volunteer or Donate today!

#BetterTogether #KidsHelpingKids #BookDriveforKids
#ReadingRocks #LiteracyMatters

Sep 13
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Thrift Books gift & Warehouse Volunteers

By General No Comments

How do you give away 50,000 books?   It takes COLLABORATION & COOPERATION.

Last year Thrift Books committed 50,000 books to Book Drive for Kids, and we saw a huge opportunity right before our very eyes! Arriving 1,000 books at a time, in giant boxes called gaylords, we knew getting these books ready for distribution was a job for some energetic volunteers.

Who could we call?

The Young Men’s Service League, Home School Honor Society, and individual volunteers have been ready and willing to jump right in.  Literally!   They have consistently helped by crawling in these huge boxes and unpacked, sorted, and categorized these books. It’s not a job for the faint of heart…especially in a warehouse during the summer months in Texas! What an amazing effort and help they have been.

And their labor has not been in vain!

Check out how this enormous donation is spreading across North Texas, and placing books in the hearts and homes of children.

  1. Read Play Talk – given away at events and classes with parents
  2. Child Care Group – given away at events with parents
  3. Lovepacs – Lewisville – included in holiday food packs
  4. Communities in Schools – given to school counselors
  5. Children’s Advocacy Center – given away with Christmas gifts
  6. Reading Partners – used in their tutoring program
  7. Pedia Place – given to their counselors
  8. Blue Halo Ranch – stocked their secret reading room
  9. Christ Child Society at St Phillip’s – donated to their free book fair & new mother bags
  10. Noggin Educational STEM camps – given to camp participants
  11. New teachers for classroom libraries

If you know of a group that serves disadvantaged children who would benefit from gently-used children’s books, contact us. Join in the Race for Impact – and help us get books into the hearts and homes of children in need.

Sep 06
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Bringing New Stories to “Book Deserts”

By What's Happening One Comment

When Book Drive for Kids learned that over 60% of Dallas and Tarrant county children live in “child care deserts”, we knew we had to help.

What is a “child care desert?” It is particular zip codes and/or counties where there are not enough seats at high-quality child care centers for the number of children of working parents. Parents are forced to make the difficult decision of not working outside the home or utilizing an inferior child care situation. This results in children ill-prepared for kindergarten and/or families suffering economic hardship because a parent can’t work or get further training. Here is where Child Care Group comes alongside these families by providing subsidized child care and mentoring in creating rich learning environments in the home.

Since 2020, Book Drive for Kids has partnered with Child Care Group by providing books to their families and child care centers. The cost of quality children’s books is expensive. Replacing lost or damaged books increases operating costs at a child care center and takes valuable funds away from other costs, like teacher wages.

We appreciate the families of Primrose Schools in Denton county who regularly donate pre-school books, both new and gently-used, for us to share with other preschool children, like those at Child Care Group, Lillie L Jackson Early Childhood Center in Lewisville, and the Ann Widdle Preschool and Gonzalez Preschool in Denton.

With your financial support, we can continue to support these families and child care centers with additional books to bolster learning for our most vulnerable assets – the young children of North Texas.

#BookDriveforKids
#ReadingRocks
#LiteracyMatters
#BetterTogether
#GiveABookChangeALife

Sep 02
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Reading: critical to a child’s success

By General No Comments

What is one of the greatest predictors of kindergarten success?

It’s not family wealth or education. It’s not the child’s zip code or race.

Any other guesses?

If you guessed, the number of books read to a child, you’re right!  Daily conversation is a plus, too. Some of my favorite memories are snuggling on the couch with my young children and a stack of books. We learned about faraway lands, laughed at funny characters, and dreamed about visiting exotic places and meeting new people. Books have this sort of magic that bring new words, pictures, and experiences into a child’s life. They provide “hooks” where future knowledge attaches and grows.

Unfortunately, thousands of children in North Texas live in “book deserts”. They are missing out  on making these great memories and enjoying sparks of curiosity. When Nicol and I heard this, we knew we had to do something about it. We could see the impact easy access to books had given our own children and believe every child should experience the joy of reading at home with books they love.

This is why Book Drive for Kids exists: to gift books to children who want and need books at home. Because of generous donors like you, Book Drive for Kids provided over 30,000 books to children who would not have them.

Smiles, hugs, and excitement greet each volunteer at our free book fairs. Happy teachers express appreciation over and over. Book Drive for Kids free book fairs help to build a bridge from school to home that encourages reading for fun. With your help, the sky’s the limit to how many kids we can spread the love of reading and bring hope into their lives with a book and the expression of love that comes with it.

Give a Book. Change a Life.

Donate or volunteer today.

#BookDriveforKids
#ReadingRocks
#LiteracyMatters
#BetterTogether
#GiveABookChangeALife

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