Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Trish Schappell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Trish thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Almost 10 years ago, I found myself in an apartment parking lot sitting in my car with sweaty palms on the wheel. Sweat appeared on my brow as I told myself, “Trish, get out of the car!” I couldn’t do it. After reliving this experience 2 more times, I told my husband about my idea to begin The Kids’ Reading Room. I was afraid because I didn’t have a plan. I only had an idea and no knowledge of how to execute it, yet there was no question that I had to do it. Soon after, my husband and I both got out of the car and walked into a nearby apartment community and spoke to management about my dream of creating a vibrate space full of books and literacy experiences for the kids living there. I will never forget what the manager said. With wide eyes, the manager, Joei Hayes said, “We were just talking about needing some type of literacy program here!” Now we have three Kids’ Reading Room locations in underserved apartment communities and bring so much joy to our community of little readers!
The idea began 10 years ago when I became an Interdisciplinary Coach at an elementary school. I attended a week long Abydos Reading Training in Spring Branch ISD to learn more about reading curriculum. It was at that training where I learned about the low graduation rates in my school district due to low reading skills. I learned some parents were not able to read to their children due to language barriers or because they had two jobs and had to work nights. I knew I had to help in some way!
The thoughts of getting books into the hands of children began swirling in my head. By the end of the first day I had ideas on paper regarding book collection, book drives, volunteer readers, creating rooms in apartments and more. I went home and tried to ignore the ideas because they seemed impossible. How could I possibly do this? What do I know? I asked God to give me strength to do this and began bargaining with Him. “I’ll work very hard to bring books to children in need if you help me do this! I can’t do it alone,” was my plea. I knew deep down it was the right thing for me to do so I took a leap of Faith and did it.
Posts on FB asking for books, used bookshelves, and furnishings was my first step. Before I knew it our entire garage was filled with these items! I was now able to set up our first reading room for the children. The first couple months I volunteered to run the reading room alone, Soon after more and more volunteers became a part of our program and began making a tremendous impact. Within 3 months we opened a second location and a third soon after that.
Becoming a 501c3 organization in May 2014 was the next step. Soon after we received grants, which helped to provide more books and new furnishings for The Kids’ Reading Rooms.
Our volunteers are the glue which holds our organization together. They are leaders with true hearts of gold who bring literacy experiences to our children.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
There are two professional roles I live. By day I am a middle school counselor, but I am also the Founder and Chair of The Kids’ Reading Room acting as the Executive Director, Grant Writer, Development Specialist and more. Learning how to run an organization only through experience has been like a constant roller coaster ride, but always going uphill. Yes, there are ups and downs, but there are so many unique and amazing experiences and connections made with volunteers, children, families, community members and other nonprofit professionals. I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
I think what sets me apart from others is that I truly believe the sky is the limit and learning more about how to create a successful nonprofit excites me. About 5 years ago I attended a 10 month program at Rice University called Leadership Institute for Nonprofit Executive. It was there I met others in similar circumstances who worked to make the world a better place. The program helped me to fine tune what I had already done and bring our organization to the next level.
I knew there would be reading rooms for kids and there are. I knew volunteers would come when we needed them and they did. No matter how difficult things seem at the time, they always work out for the best, even if you can’t see it at the time. I’ve learned you just have to not be afraid to fail and take risks. Learn from mistakes made and keep on going. If you are passionate about what you do; others will want to help. I also know I cannot do anything alone. It takes a team!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
It hasn’t been an easy road, but I know that is just part of the amazing journey. Never do we let setbacks bring us down! Nothing is easy! There have been locations we had to close in the past. Several years ago we closed a location due to new apartment management. There were plans to create a workout room in our reading room space. We were asked to leave. I imagined the kids’ faces and knew how sad they would be. Some of the students attended for many years. I began missing them before we even closed. On the day we were packing up the room, I ran into the new apartment owners. Yes, I was hurt and maybe a little mad inside, but I mustered up some grace and introduced myself and thanked them for allowing us time to pack up and move. Then I gave them a box of chocolate we were giving out to our volunteers for Christmas and wished them well. Something stunning happened! The lady gave me her card and mentioned she had a family Foundation and could possibly donate. About a year later I wrote to her and filled out a grant application. I did not hear back until 2 years later. The Kids’ Reading Room received a check for $5000 to be used for our program! Even more amazing is that it came during the time we had to close in 2020 due to COVID. When we opened our doors again and were able to serve more students and families with the additional funds. This reminded me to never give up and to always make sure EVERYONE is treated with kindness and respect.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Having a social media presence can be a challenge. Everyone has people even if they think they don’t. I started with just a simple short FB post sharing my passion for what I wanted to do and what I needed. It is important to know your audience. Who are you trying to reach? When is the best time to share your post to reach the most people? I found one can build a network of like minded individuals on social media who are a fan of your work. Those are the people I’ve reached out to most. They are the ones willing to share our work, advertise our work and/or participate in our work. Making connections, being real, and passionate about what you do will build your networking base. Don’t be afraid to post often. Show exciting photos of your work or organization in action. Share positive highlights and celebrations. People love following someone who loves what they do.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kidsreadingroom.org
- Instagram: @Kidsreadingroom
- Facebook: @TheKidsReadingRoom
- Twitter: @Kidsreadingroom
- Other: [email protected]