Board Member Spotlight — Sara Blatnick
Written by Steve Gamel
Sara Blatnik insists one of the greatest blessings of her life happened three years ago when she stumbled upon a magazine article about Book Drive for Kids. At the time, Sara and her siblings were managing their grandparents’ charitable foundation and were carefully searching for an organization to donate to financially. In her words, Book Drive for Kids “checked all the boxes” and was the perfect choice to honor her grandparents’ wishes and share their legacy of giving back to schools, children, education, and families.
What happened next went beyond her wildest dreams — and easily reshaped her life forever.
“I reached out through the website, and Michelle contacted me immediately,” Sara recalled. “We had coffee, and even after awarding them the donation, Michelle kept reaching out to see if I wanted to volunteer. I had just left my job and was looking to get more involved in my community, so I started with a few book fairs, helped organize the warehouse … and then there was the spelling bee. All of a sudden, I realized I was growing with them. We’ve been friends ever since.”
She added, “You can’t help but be drawn to them and their mission. The biggest thing is seeing the kids smile when they pick up their books and put their names on them. It’s one of the many reasons I keep coming back.”
Sara remains a kind, generous, and supportive behind-the-scenes volunteer and friend. She has served on the Adult Spelling Bee committee since its inception in 2023. This past year, she added processing the Check the Box requests to her growing to-do list. If you recall, this is an additional program BDK offers for parents who request that slightly used books be mailed to their homes for free. And just this month, Sara was sworn in as Book Drive for Kids’ newest volunteer board member.
“I am honored that they would want me on the board,” Sara said. “God put these beautiful women in my life, and this organization has more than helped me grow as a person. I hope to be more involved as time goes by.”
Sara was born and raised in Midland but moved to North Texas 19 years ago. She and her husband, Matt, have been married for 11 years and live in Flower Mound. They enjoy traveling and are big-time sports enthusiasts, particularly Aggie football and the Dallas Stars. Sara also enjoys spending time with her five nieces and nephews whenever possible.
Before joining Book Drive for Kids, Sara spent two years as a weekend meteorologist in Midland and 16 years in the oil and gas industry for EOG Resources in Fort Worth. In 2018, she and her siblings became the co-managers of the Holland Family Foundation.
Their grandparents, Scotty and Jacque Holland, started the organization in 2010 to give back to the less fortunate in their community.
Clearly, they set an excellent example Sara still follows today.