First Book Advisory Board provides low-income access to books

A First Book Advisory Board was founded during the 2004-05 academic year by Jumpstart-Fresno and the Office of Civic Engagement and Service Learning. The advisory board comprises 10 individuals from the community, Fresno State’s faculty, staff and student body. At the end of their first year of service the board awarded 5,200 new books between seven different nonprofit organizations (Stone Soup Fresno, Fresno Covenant Foundation, Jumpstart, Pinedale Neighborhood Resource Center/Book Buddies, One by One Leadership/Care Fresno, Academy for New Americans, and Patty Project), which will serve more than 1,000 children.

First Book is a national nonprofit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. In neighborhoods across the country, First Book Advisory Boards unite leaders from all sectors of the community to provide books to children in literacy programs, shelters for battered children, housing project initiatives, soup kitchens, after-school programs and other community-based efforts reaching children living at or below the poverty line. In the past three years, First Book-National has distributed more than 20 million new books to children in need in hundreds of communities nationwide.

First Book believes access to books is essential to reading development. Over 60 percent of low-income families have no books in their homes for children. In Fresno alone, 26.2 percent of residents live at poverty level. According to the director of Stone Soup, Kathy Garabed, “The children that Stone Soup serves come from the poorest Southeast Asian families where literacy is extremely limited. Giving them books propels them into a world of unlimited possibilities. It enriches their environment and fosters a love of reading that will become a legacy of lifelong learning. This gift is invaluable on their journey of successful acculturation.”

By providing children from low-income families with books that they can take home and keep, First Book targets the only variable that correlates significantly with reading scores – the number of books in the home.

For more information, visit www.firstbook.org. If you would like to make a donation or serve as a First Book-Fresno board member, please contact Amy Lukianov at ext. 278.8846 or amyl@csufresno.edu.