First Book-Seattle Newsletter Spring 2014

First Book-Seattle Spring Newsletter Renowned Seattleites celebrate their love of reading First Book-Seattle will hold its third annual Seattle Story Time on Saturday, May 31 at Greenlake’s Bathhouse Theater. Prominent local figures including Molly Moon, children's author Nancy White Carlstrom, a Kirkland firefighter, and sports stars will read their favorite childhood books in an all-ages story time celebrating the power of a child’s first book. The event will be hosted by the wonderful Ride the Ducks' captain Bjorn Toorun who was one of the stars of last year's event. The readers will be available to chat and sign autographs once they've read. Last year’s event was a huge success and part of a series of fundraisers which raised over $20,000 for new books for kids who need them. Ross Fletcher, voice of the Sounders, hosted an eclectic group of Seattle celebrities, including a Sounders player, a Husky, a Seahawk, a chef and a break dancer.  Tickets are $15 until 5/1, $20 after 5/1. Each ticket includes a new book. Tickets are available at www.firstbook.org/seattle The Bathhouse Theater at Greenlake is located at 7312 West Green Lake Dr. N Seattle, WA 98103. More readers will be announced over the coming weeks. To make a donation to First Book-Seattle visit www.firstbook.org/seattle We would love for you to join our community and become a sustaining donor. A donation of just $15 a month would give 12 kids a year a starter library. Within 2 years you’ll have helped a whole classroom of children. Soccer, beer and books First Book-Seattle teamed up with Redhook Brewery to celebrate the start of the new Major League Soccer season and the league's best supported team, the Seattle Sounders, with a fantastic fundraiser at the start of March. Voice of the Sounders, Ross Fletcher, former Sounders pundit and England international, Alan Hinton and radio personality and author of 'Sounders FC: Authentic Masterpiece' Mike Gastineau joined forces to keep guests entertained. They told anecdotes about the team and answered question about the new roster. Many thanks to the three of them. Thanks to Redhook brewery who provided the venue, food and a taste of the new official Sounders ECS beer. The event raised $2500 through ticket sales and a raffle. Thanks to all those who attended. This is definitely something we'll be repeating. Go Sounders! Go First Book-Seattle!   First Book-Seattle Newsletter 3: April 2014 On Saturday April 19th First Book-Seattle is handing out a record number of books.... 40,000! The books are going to teachers and educators from across King County to take back to their classrooms and programs. First Book-Seattle earned the books from its national body by rising to the challenge of getting 150 new educators signed up as recipient groups and fundraising $10,000 over the last three months. Funds were earned through events at Glassybaby, private donors, and a Sounders season launch party at Redhook Brewery. Teachers and educators who are registered with First Book-Seattle are each coming to pick up 100 books on Saturday April 19. With some schools having more than five or six teachers signed up there will be many schools and programs getting over 600 new books for kids. “This is a truly unique event. Never before has Firstbook-Seattle handed out this number of books… the truck is on its way, traveling across the country and until it gets here we can’t even imagine what 40,000 books look like!” said co-chair Joy Brooke. “What we do know is that the teachers coming to get them are hugely excited and the books will have a massive impact on children and classrooms across King County” If you would be able to help us with for this amazing event please contact co-chair Jody Dorrow at jody@ericsondorow.com We need volunteers to prepare the books on Thursday April 17 and help handing out books on Saturday April 19. A Birthday to Remember! Community School First grader Maguire Brooke loves to read. He loves books and all he wanted for his 7th birthday was to give books to kids who didn’t have any. “Are you sure you don’t want presents?” asked his mom, before she sent out the invitation that would encourage his guests not to bring gifts, but instead to donate to First Book-Seattle. “Yes, I am sure! I can’t believe kids don’t have books. If you don’t have books, how can you read, and if you can’t read, how can you learn?” replied Maguire. Each guest that attended Maguire’s birthday party donated using an online Virtual Book Drive. Thanks to Maguire’s family and friends, he raised over $500, which gave 200 books. First Book-Seattle worked to match Maguire with a program where the books would make a difference and found Viewlands Elementary, a Title 1 school, in north Seattle where more than 65% of students receive a free or reduced-price lunch. The $500 grant was given to two second grade classrooms to provide a starter library of 6 books to each child. Titles included some of Maguire’s favorites including the Magic Treehouse Series by Mary Pope Osbourne, and The Diary of A Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. Maguire got to share his love for reading and books by distributing his books to students at Viewlands Elementary. Maguire shared why he loved to read, before the students went ‘shopping for their books’. “It was awesome!” Maguire exclaimed. “I’m the proudest person on earth!” Teacher Meredith Lewis (pictured left with Maguire) added “The kids were so into their books… some of them carried a book around all the rest of the day and they’re still bringing books out to recess” Co-Chairperson of First Book-Seattle Jody Dorrow commented “We’re so thrilled that Maguire’s birthday wish of giving the gift of reading came true. And we hope that with the books these 7 years old will be able fulfill their dreams too” KPMG’s Relationship with First Book-Seattle By Patrick M. Riley, Seattle KPMG Family for Literacy Partner Champion My wife and I have been fortunate that I work for a company that encourages us to be active in the community in an area that matches our passion.  I work for KPMG which is one of the global Big-Four accounting firms.  As a firm, we believe that education is key to the long term success of our communities and our country, and education is not possible without literacy.  That said, the toughest roadblock to children’s literacy in low-income communities is a lack of access to books.  To help break through this barrier, KPMG formed KPMG’s Family for Literacy (KFFL). KPMG launched its initiative nationally in collaboration with First Book to promote literacy by providing new books to children from low-income families. In too many cases, these are the first books these children have ever owned, but since this collaborative effort was launched more than five years ago, KPMG has donated over two million books in more than 90 communities across the country. While KPMG works with the national First Book organization, we in Seattle have joined with the local First Book chapter on a number of events over the last five years.  Most recently, we donated over 1,000 books to kindergarteners through second graders at Beacon Hill Elementary School.  A number of our employees, several local authors and several individuals from the local First Book chapter joined my wife and me to deliver five new books to each child.  As part of this activity, KPMG employees and their family members also read, “Where the Wild Things Are” and acted out the story in front of the class.  The children then broke into small groups of three or four children and the authors and our employees read to them.  It was a rewarding day for all involved.  Seeing the joy on the children’s faces when they realize that the books they are receiving are their very own is indescribable. We value our relationship with First Book for the ability to leverage our time and dollars to maximize the benefit to the children, and for the opportunities it gives KPMG’s Family for Literacy to volunteer with our own family members as well as our colleagues.  While it is fulfilling to provide financial assistance to worthwhile causes, participating in the activity you are supporting is much more satisfying. To learn more about KPMG’s Family for Literacy, visit www.kpmg.com/us/kffl or “like” us on KFFL’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/KPMGUS.KFFL. Meet Our First Book- Seattle Champion:   Photographer Julia Bobrov  By Brandi Erbstoeszer  Photographer Julia Bobrov, our First Book-Seattle Champion for this quarter, beautifully documented our past two fundraising events: Glassybaby Night Of Giving, and Redhook Brewery & First Book-Seattle Soccer Season Kick-off. She has a special knack for capturing the moments that express the heart of events.   Born in Ukraine, Julia has also lived in Israel, Texas, and now in Kirkland where she lives with her husband and two daughters. She has a degree in multimedia design and runs her own photography business: J&N Photography.   Julia’s passion for photography is deeply informed by her relationships with people, especially children. She still works at the Montessori school that her daughters attended, taking photos of the children and documenting their development. “The goal is to get them in their natural environment,” she says, and she does this in a discreet manner behind the telephoto lens. Although her photos are from afar, the effect is close up, and the relationships Julia has formed are close as well; the school invites her to special parties and events, where she happily volunteers her time.  “I like to capture the magic of kids growing year after year,” she says.  Julia also loves documenting birth; the moments leading up to, during, and following the first moments of new life. She’s photographed pregnancy, natural births, cesarean births, newborns, and milestone birthdays.    First Book- Seattle is fortunate to be engaged in a relationship with Julia. “I love volunteering with great people for great causes,” says Julia. “I look at volunteering as doing something that is creating memories, and being a part of a special event that is meaningful.”  She says she is sustained and enriched by relationships that persevere over time.   We hope Julia will remain part of the First Book community for a long time to come.   Copyright © *|2014|* *|First Book-Seattle|*, All rights reserved.