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Upcoming One-Time Volunteer Opportunity!
Do you have the morning free on Wednesday, May 25th? We need a few extra hands to help with a big book pick-up! If you'd like to help prepare and box books, meet other book-lovers out in the city, and are free from 8:30am-12noon on 5/25, email Ava for more information! |
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Grassroots Rainmaking
Looking for another way to get involved with Open Books? Great! We're excited to unveil our new fundraising volunteer opportunity: individual fundraising! Whether
you're planning a gathering or interested in creating your own online campaign, there are endless ways to bring the literacy cause to your own network.
Read more and get started by clicking here and contact Ava with any questions!
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Half Off Sale
The Half Off Sale is back! Come shop our incredible selection of 50,000 amazing used books... and save 50% on each and every one of them.
As always, proceeds will help support our literacy programs across Chicago.
Ready? Set? Shop!
June 18 and 19
10 am - 7pm
The Open Books Store
213 W. Institute
FREE
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We Want Your Books!
Getting ready for summer by digging in your closet and cleaning off your shelves? Donate your used books to us! All books are welcome, we offer free pickup service throughout the city, and all donations help support our literacy programs for students across Chicago.
Schedule a pickup
or get dropoff information now!
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Upcoming
Orientations
Friday, June 10
12-1 pm
Sign up now to join us!
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There's more fun where this came from! Check out our previous newsletters. |
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Dear friends of Open Books,
This month, as we celebrate Open Books' five-year anniversary and look back on how far we've come with the unwavering support of our trusted volunteers, we are also looking forward to summer. We have what I dare call our most exciting summer ever coming up in just a few weeks, so read on to see what it will entail and how you can be a part of the fun!
Ava Zeligson
Volunteer Manager
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Spend your Summer with Open Books! Check out our spectacularly exciting lineup this summer, including the pilot of a brand-new program. We hope you can join us! |
Our newest program, ReadThenWrite, is just what it sounds like! We're combining our love of reading with our passion for writing into one immersive and enriching experience for teens, including reading genre texts as a group and then helping each student produce a serious, publishable work of his or her own. This summer, we will run our first two sessions: one in Auburn-Gresham and another in Gage Park. Groups will meet twice weekly for a few hours on weekday mornings.
We especially need more help with this program!
To read more about the program and see the detailed schedule, click here. If you would like to join either site or have any questions, email Ava.
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Open Books Buddies, our one-on-one reading mentorship program for elementary school students, will be running at 4 sites this summer. New for Buddies big and little, we'll be meeting at each site twice a week! We are extra-excited to spend double the time with our Buddies and look forward to maintaining this consistency next school year. :)
To see the full summer schedule, click here. If you'd like to join one of the sites, email Ava ASAP to reserve your spot!
Note: Volunteers who can commit to both days each week will be prioritized.
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Vol-Star: Mollie Sorey
I am delighted to introduce Mollie Sorey. Mollie has been with us for just a few months, but she has made an incredible impact with every page turned at Teen Book Club at Chicago Talent Development High School.
Every week, Mollie shows up at school with a smile on her face. She works with Marshall, and it's inspiring to see the two of them hunkered over a book. Marshall is a low reader, so they spend most of their time decoding the pictures, picking out clues and making predictions. Every session, Marshall gives Mollie a big hug and high five -- it's obvious that they have (and will continue to have) a wonderful rapport. To learn more about what we're reading at CTDHS, check out Anna's earlier post on graphic novels.
Thank you, Mollie, for being such a positive force at Open Books! It's clear that Marshall appreciates it, and the whole Open Books team feels exactly the same. :)
And now, we dig a little deeper...
Check out Mollie's answers to our 10 Questions!
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From Volunteer to Educator
Volunteering at Open Books can be many things. For some, it's a way to get a break from day-to-day routines and spend a few hours a week reading or writing with Chicago's youth. For some, it's an opportunity to test out and build on new skills. We hope that all of our volunteers appreciate the importance of the work they are doing to improve the state of literacy and education, and we are tremendously excited when volunteers become inspired to take their commitment to the next level!
Meredith Bazzoli, Adventures in Creative Writing Field Trip coach and Big Buddy at Goethe Elementary, is one such volunteer. Meredith has been an absolutely wonderful member of the Open Books volunteer team, and though we'll miss her terribly as her schedule fills up this fall, we couldn't be happier to know she'll be busy running her very own classroom!
Read on to see what Meredith has to say about the impact her time as an Open Books volunteer has had on her decision to become (an inspiring and effective!) educator!
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Printers Row Lit Fest
June 4 and 5
Printers Row Lit Fest, or PRLF, as it's known among close friends, is the Midwest's largest literary event, featuring an impressive bill of author readings, panels, entertainment, and -- of course -- loads and loads of books for sale!
Open Books is proud to be the official nonprofit sponsor of PRLF. In addition to selling books at the Fest (look out for our tent: as always, all sales help support our literacy programs!), we'll be participating in some exciting new programming (including our first-ever Spelling Eeb) and providing 200+ volunteers to make the event possible!
Come say hello at one of the various Open Books outposts at the Fest this June!
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Open Books is a nonprofit social venture that operates an extraordinary bookstore, provides community programs, and mobilizes passionate volunteers to promote literacy in Chicago and beyond. We enhance lives through reading, writing, and the VOLUNTARY power of used books. Learn more and sign up to join us at www.open-books.org! |
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