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Upcoming
Orientations
December 2
12-1 pm
January 11
6-7 pm
Sign up now to join us!
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Last month, we encouraged you to add your volunteer experience to your LinkedIn profile. It looks like some folks at the New York Times agree!
There have been two interesting articles in the past few weeks highlighting the increasing value of volunteer experience, both in terms of professional development and resume building.
Do you include the amazing work you do at Open Books on your resume? We certainly hope so!
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 Do you have a connection to a local business or organization that would like to support literacy in Chicago while simultaneously driving traffic to their location? Open Books is looking for partners to host one our book collection bins. This is a great opportunity for a business to support literacy without lifting a finger! Please contact books@open-books.org for more information!
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It's back! Come shop our incredible selection of 50,000 amazing used books...and save 50% on each and every one of them (including rare and autographed books)!
Ready? Set? Shop!
December 10 & 11
10 am - 7 pm
Open Books Store
213 W. Institute
And remember.... Open Books members get a
2-hour head start on Saturday!
Member Preview:
December 10
8-10 am
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Bookmark your favorite online bookstore (Open Books!) this season as you prepare your holiday gift list! Our Amazon shop is open 24 hours and can be accessed from the comfort of your own home. And, as always, proceeds support literacy in Chicago!
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Free Writing Workshops!
Graduate students of Northwestern University's creative writing program are offering free, open-to-the-public classes on fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction at their Evanston campus December 3-4.
For details on the workshops and to sign up, click here! |
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Holiday
Bookstore Party
Presented by the Open Books Associate Board
Get out of the cold and get in the holiday spirit! Join us at the Open Books store for food, drinks, trivia and more!
Wednesday
December 7
6:30-9 pm
$10 suggested donation |
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Dear friends,
Open Books flourishes because of the hoards of amazing people who come together to make a difference in our city. Every day, our volunteers are hard at work reading and writing in our programs or supporting our bookstore and online bookshop to make sure that we are able to reach more students. Our volunteers come from all around the city (and the suburbs, too!). They bring a wealth of experience from fields as varied as medicine, real estate, finance, marketing, education, law, and more. And yet, they all have at least one thing in common: a passion for literacy.
One of the most wonderful things to see is how such a diverse group of people have come together to build a community; share book recommendations; form friendships; and rely on each other for advice, support, or maybe just a ride to school. We are endlessly proud of our volunteer corps and all they have accomplished. Volunteers, we hope that you realize the collective power you hold as a group and the major impact you have, not only on our students and on the Open Books team, but on each other as well.
A massive thank you goes out to everyone in our volunteer corps, and if you have been reading from the sidelines, please come get to know us and join this amazing group at an upcoming orientation!
Ava Zeligson
Volunteer Manager
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Coming Together: Volunteering as a Group
While the group that makes up the Open Books volunteer corps is among the mightiest we know, we have also had the pleasure of getting to know a few other fine groups this fall. Small teams from Banana Republic, Starbucks, Best Western River North, Elmhurst College and the DePaul Writing Center have helped our students create some amazing work at Adventures in Creative Writing Field Trips, and it isn't just our students who benefit from their visits.
Groups who participate in Open Books' Adventures in Creative Writing field trips get a unique opportunity to come in for a single morning and experience what hundreds of others do as consistent writing coaches. Groups walk away having participated fully in an Open Books program, having provided real support for our budding authors, and with a new and inspiring experience to share with each other. Working together as a team on something that is often very different from their usual work day provides a whole new way for members to connect and learn from each other, and we are always overjoyed to see coaches excitedly sharing stories from their students with their colleagues after a field trip wraps.
Of course, Open Books also benefits from these wonderful visits, as group volunteers not only support our programs by actively volunteering at them, but also by pairing other initiatives with these field trips, such as book drives or fundraisers.
Does your company have a corporate responsibility or employee-volunteering program? Do you wish they did? Are you welcoming new hires and looking for a team-building experience that will make a real difference for the students of Chicago? Are you a part of a college or graduate group looking to connect with your community? We would love to meet you!
Contact Ava for more information!
azeligson@open-books.org / 312.475 1355 x119
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Opportunity Spotlight
It is hard to believe, but in just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up our fall semester. Though this may feel like sad news, it is not! We have an exciting slate of opportunities coming up with the new year, and if you want to join in, the time to do it is now!
In January, we will be working with new schools and curriculum in ReadThenWrite and opening up spots at many of our Open Books Buddies sites. Of course, for those looking to jump in right away, we are always welcoming new writing coaches atAdventures in Creative Writing Field Trips and e-commerce volunteers at the Open Books warehouse.
With so many ways to get involved, we encourage you to get a head start on those resolutions and sign up for an orientation today!
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Vol-Star: Dan Meehan
 | | Reading the graphic novel Yummy at ReadThenWrite |
Everyone at Open Books is in on this month's vol-star nomination, seeing as nearly every member of our team has had the pleasure of working directly with the wonderful Dan Meehan. This is because Dan has participated in three of our programs since coming on board just this past summer, and he has made a serious impact in each and every one.
From his amazing guidance in ReadThenWrite to his commitment and astounding array of knowledge shared at the Open Books store, to his kindness and dedication at Open Books Buddies, sometimes we feel like we have it a little too good with Dan around.
A psychotherapist and social worker by trade, Dan has a unique talent for working with some of our tougher students, and has formed a special bond with all of the readers he works with. Last summer, one of Dan's students was having a particularly hard day, and so Dan decided to stay at the school in Auburn-Gresham through the lunch period to talk it through rather than catching a ride back up to the Loop with the rest of the Open Books team. At the bookstore, if a last minute opening pops up, you can be sure that Dan will happily jump in at a moment's notice if at all possible, and then be wonderful company once he's there. And just to clarify, Dan is participating in all three programs I mentioned right now, at once. However, it's not just the amount of time he spends with Open Books, it's the positive attitude and enthusiasm he brings with him!
Now, I'll turn it over to Dan so that we can all better know this one of a kind vol-star!
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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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