We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Boullear and Christina Hake (two founders) a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below. It really doesn’t make sense without our edits, in red. Also, it’s very important that our website link works. Thanks!
Emily and Christina (two founders), we appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things a non profit does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, non profits help create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.
A few weeks ago, we were leading a book club in a juvenile detention center when we saw something tragic. On our way out, wewere chatting with a youth counselor about which books to bring as donations, when we heard a someone say, “Dr. Seuss!” After peering around a corner, where the voice came from, we saw a face behind a small barred window. It was explained that this older teen was working on his reading, and was in solitary confinement.
Emily and Christina (two founders), before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Free Thought is a non-profit organization that donates books to detention centers. Although, when we are asked to expand our services to meet a certain need, we are happy to do so. We’ve recently helped renovate the St. Louis Juvenile Detention Center’s library and provided tablets for juvenile detainees in Kansas City.
Both of us are former paralegals for criminal defense attorneys. In this way, we were able to further understand how much suffering the incarcerated endure. If their suffering can be slightly eased through the comfort of a good book, then they should have constant access to inspiring reading material, throughout their incarceration. After all, most people in pre-trail detention are innocent because they haven’t been proven guilty. They may never be.
To date, we donate to 20 detention centers, all across the nation. In the first two years of operation, we’ve donated over 3,600 books to the incarcerated, but it’s been a challenge at times. Most of our donations come in the form of books, which we are grateful for, yet we still must ship the books all across the country. Our goal for 2023 is to obtain a grant, which will allow us to grow and further expand our impact!
How’d you meet your business partner?
We have been friends since middle school, twenty years ago. During the pandemic, we decided to use our free time to start Free Thought. We are still volunteering our time and efforts, as all of our donated dollars go straight to the incarcerated, in the form of shipping costs, minor expenses, and supplies. Nevertheless, it’s a rewarding experience and our main concern is that the incarcerated receive the reading material they need. Reading truly is a human right.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
In the beginning, we shipped out our own favorite books, from our own collections. Shipping costs were paid out of our pocket as well. Through the use of social media, we gained a small following. The generosity of our supporters only continues to grow. There is just such a vast and immense need for the service we provide, that we are still constantly needing to fundraise.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.freethoughtkc.com
- Instagram: @freethoughtkc