We recently connected with Diane Garvey, Terri Garabedian, Julie Manning Book it Forward! Idaho and have shared our conversation below.
Diane Garvey, Terri Garabedian, Julie Manning, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
In 2013, at a Boise State University-Idaho Voices for Children literacy event, we learned that in middle and higher-income homes each child has about 50 books, but in lower-income homes, there is, on average, 1 book for every 300 kids. That was astonishing to hear so we set out to collect and distribute books to kids who need them most and we donated 700 books to a YMCA preschool program in Caldwell. That certainly didn’t fix the literacy issue and we then decided to form an all-volunteer nonprofit and named it Book it Forward! Idaho. We are a joint initiative of Idaho Voices for Children and The Cabin Literary Center, both local nonprofits. We collect, clean, repair and distribute gently-used and new children’s books to kids who have little or no access to books at home. When kids outgrow their books, they can donate them to us and we find them the perfect home. Donated books are delivered to Title One schools, pediatric health clinics, after-school programs, juvenile detention centers, summer reading programs, and other children’s programs and events in Idaho. We have collection boxes at the Downtown, West, and Caldwell YMCA locations or people can contact us through our social media platforms and we will pick up books to be donated. Soon after our inception, we started partnering with Barnes & Noble in Boise and the United Way of Treasure Valley, to increase the number of kids’ books donated. Every year, the United Way of Treasure Valley hosts a children’s book drive for us that gets us thousands of books for kids throughout Idaho. As a result of these amazing annual book drives and the incredible generosity of our community, we have donated nearly 800,000 kids’ books to kids who truly need them.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
At Book it Forward! Idaho, we see the potential in each child we serve and the impact that having high-quality reading materials in the home has on them as well. There are no books at all in about 61% of low-incomes homes. Research has shown that kids who aren’t reading by the end of third grade are 4X more likely to not graduate from high school.
Our goal is to foster a life-long love of reading and learning for every child. Nearly 85% of those in juvenile detention are functionally illiterate. There is a very direct link between literacy and both academic and lifetime success. We strive to get fantastic books into the hands of kids who need them, in the genres they choose, and help them learn, stimulate their imaginations, and help them better understand the world.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Since the pandemic started, we’ve had school social workers and educators request specific SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) books. The topics covered in this genre are self awareness, responsible decision-making, relationships skills, building confidence, and effective strategies to handle stress and conflict. Our focus is always on improving childhood literacy through many genres so kids enjoy what they’re reading. The SEL books are enjoyable for kids to read while also helping them navigate situations they’re dealing with at the time. Since we are an all-volunteer nonprofit, 100% of funds donated to us goes back to the community, so we are able to use donor dollars to buy specific titles educators and social workers request. According to the school social workers, these books are helping kids tremendously and we’re thrilled to partner with them.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Book it Forward! Idaho has a presence on Facebook and Instagram to share with others the positive impact we have when we work collaboratively in our community. Whether someone is in need of books for a classroom, health clinic, or after-school program, or wanting to donate their gently-used or new kids’ books, we are ready to jump in and make that happen! We like to post about our literacy events, book drives, amazing community volunteers, and also remind people that the need is great and we can always use high-quality books or donated funds to fulfill the requests of our hard-working educators.
Social media platforms provide the perfect visual of our community in action to help others.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.idahovoices.org/action/book-it-forward/
- Instagram: book_it_forward_idaho
- Facebook: facebook.com/bookitforwardidaho