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Dear friends,
Five years ago, we set out with an ambitious mission: to enrich lives through reading, writing, and the power of used books. Many of you remember those days, from the very first book pickups and program pilots all the way through the grand opening of our store and literacy center. At every step of the way, you've made our journey possible, and this year you helped us share the love of reading and writing with more of our fellow Chicagoans than ever.
In 2011, you helped us...
- Bring one-on-one reading sessions twice a week to 6 schools through Open Books Buddies. More than 175 amazing volunteer reading coaches helped their little Buddies improve their comprehension, phonemic awareness, and fluency along with their attitudes about reading. - Inspire more than 3,000 young writers at our Adventures in Creative Writing field trips. With the support of 113 outstanding volunteer writing coaches, students wrote and performed stories and poetry about the important people, places, and matters in their lives -- and took published copies (and blank journals) home to keep. - Prepare VWrite students for the next stage in their lives. The program's 48 dedicated volunteer mentors worked with high school juniors on personal statements, resumes, and college readiness and took them on outings across the city, all to help get them ready for life after graduation. - Transform students into published authors through ReadThenWrite, our newest program. No fewer than 35 talented volunteer writing coaches helped launch this immersive experience, which combines the best elements of a book club and a writers' workshop, and brought their students through all the stages of brainstorming, writing, editing, and publishing their own significant stories. - Sort, stock, shelve, and sell thousands and thousands of books at the Open Books store. With the tireless and enthusiastic help of 140 store volunteers and 7 incredible interns, we launched our Spring Sidewalk Sale, hosted literary events galore, helped thousands of customers find the perfect read, and sold more than 70,000 books to help support our programs. - Put the Open Booksmobile on the road. With our new wheels, we're now picking up donated books every day, distributing book grants to partner nonprofits, and making a difference for literacy citywide. - Open up a warehouse for online sales. Support for our mission spreads all across the country, and our new space is the home for online shipping of purchased books to all 50 states. - Be a presence for literacy at events across the city. From big festivals like Printers Row Lit Fest all the way down to regular storytimes at the Open Books store, we spread the word and raised awareness to crowds of all sizes. These are just a few of the amazing things you made possible for literacy this year. Whether you donated or purchased a book, contributed your time or money, or simply spread the word about Open Books to your nearest and dearest, we couldn't have done any of them without your support. May your holidays be bright, book-filled, and warmed by the knowledge that you truly helped us spread the love of reading and writing this year. We can't wait to keep going in 2012! To literacy!
The Open Books Team P.S. To keep up with us year-round, make sure to visit our blog, follow us on Twitter, and fan us on Facebook! |
