Newsletter

APRIL 2025

Barkley's Vision:

Every child is a reader, and every child is a book owner.

Barkley's Mission:

Enriching children's love of reading by providing books that they can call their own.

April 2025

How do you celebrate the third year of supporting children’s literacy? At Barkley’s Bookshelf, recognizing our third anniversary on March 14th, we added another reading program to better serve young readers! We are happy to announce our 2025 Summer Reading Program, which will launch in June. For details on the Summer Reading Program, please see the article in this month’s newsletter. 

Along with the Summer Reading Program, another book delivery model developed by Barkley’s Bookshelf is our Book Fairs, the cornerstone of our programming. With the Book Fair, we bring the books to you! Volunteers curate books by age and genre to provide a variety of popular titles from which students select books to keep forever. This model is utilized in collaboration with nonprofits and Title 1 schools.

Some of our partners request Book Bundles because they are not able to host book fairs for their clientele for a variety of reasons. With our Book Bundle program, books are selected by age and reading level as requested by the recipient nonprofit based on their client’s needs. We have a monthly partnership donating 200 new books via the Book Bundle program to a local foster care nonprofit.

Each of these book distribution models enables us to bridge the gap for children without access to reading materials outside of school. Join us in providing books to young readers! Support children’s literacy through the gift of time by volunteering, hosting a virtual book drive, or making a monetary donation to help us spread our Vision: Every child is a reader, and every child is a book owner.

Yours in reading,

Brenda

Thank you to NCL, Texas Diamonds chapter, Fields Elementary School and various individuals for Book Donations!

Barkley's Bookshelf had the pleasure of hosting Book Fairs at the Cy-Hope Centers. The total number of books distributed was 422 books to 78 students. We had some repeat clients and they were happy to be able to add MORE books, of their choosing, to their personal libraries. 📚❤️🐶

Barkley's Bookshelf donated 988 NEW Books to Gleason Elementary for their Camp-Read-A-Thon event! The students were excited to select a book to keep forever.

"Thank you to Barkley's Bookshelf for helping our Gleason Tigers to grow as readers. We appreciate you sharing some book joy with our students!"

-Gleason Elementary

👉🏼

Click on the flyer for a printable PDF.

📣

The Young Ambassadors Program (YAP) provides opportunities for young people to engage and create positive change in children’s literacy in our community. 

Open to high school and college students, YAP members:

*Promote children’s literacy

*Support the Barkley’s Bookshelf mission and vision

*Assist at in-person events in Northwest Houston

*Host virtual book drives

*Inform through social media outreach 

*Offer insight from student perspective

Join us!

Applications at BarkleysBookshelf.org/Volunteer

Barkley's Bookshelf Board of Directors is connected not only by their passion for children's literacy and its importance but also by the National Charity League, where they all met while serving in various capacities. NCL interviewed and highlighted our group at for their recent Centennial Celebration, and we wanted to share it with you. Click to see the full interview and learn how our connection through friendship and service paved the path for a new non-profit.

📚❤️🐶

Book Drives

Virtual book drives sponsored by a group, company, or organization are a fun way to unite and provide much-needed books for our Book Fairs and Book Bundles. Using our curated lists through Amazon and Wal-Mart, the process is easy, and the excitement is contagious.

Book Drive

Volunteer

Barkley's Bookshelf is always seeking invested volunteers who appreciate children, children's literature, and the joy that connects the two. If you want to become a Book Fair volunteer or serve in another capacity, please get in touch with us, info@barkleysbookshelf.org,

Your contribution will bring smiles and inspiration to many young minds.

Donations

Monetary donations are always needed as Barkley's Bookshelf strives to provide new books for our students' personal libraries. For many of our students, this will be their first opportunity to choose and keep a book. Your donation is not just a gift, it's a commitment to their future. Barkley's provides bookmarks and sturdy tote bags for their new literary treasures. Donate

Facebook Fundraiser

Barkley's Bookshelf is an approved non-profit if you would like to host an online fundraiser through their platform. By hosting a fundraiser, you can directly contribute to our mission of promoting children's literacy and book ownership. Facebook Fundraising

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