Get your fun’raising on!

Join the celebrations during February’s

“Bring a Book, Bring a Friend” Month

The Bring a Book, Bring a Friend® Month for Children’s Literacy is a student-led grassroots mission to share the wealth of reading with ALL children. Based in Naples, Florida, student leaders and volunteers create fun’raisers throughout the month to inspire children to read more and dream more. The fun-filled events spread awareness about the cause, and collect books and the money to buy books for students in need. Each year the circle of readers and community outreach continues to expand thanks to the compassionate help of the community, businesses and organizations. The literacy month has been proclaimed and recognized by Florida’s Governor, the Commissioners of Collier County, and the Mayor of Naples.

The grassroots movement launched in 2003 when K is for Kids’ founder Karen Clawson organized the first Bring a Book, Bring a Friend Fun’raiser in her home to benefit the students of her children’s school in north Naples, Florida.

Shown in photo: Laurel Oak Elementary School students, Patrick and Erin, help deliver boxes of new books for their school library following the first Bring a Book, Bring a Friend Fun’raiser in 2003. Cherise Brummer, Dean, and Charles Frontz, Principal, helped wheel in the special delivery.

One decade later, under the umbrella of K is for Kids Foundation (launched Valentine’s Day 2008 by a handful young volunteers), students from 46 schools and organization benefited from the Foundation’s “reading and leading” programs.

See events students have lined up in Collier County here: https://kisforkids.org/events/

To learn more about how you can involved, click here https://kisforkids.org/ways-to-help/ or continue reading….

How to create fun for your friends, neighbors and/or co-workers

while raising fun for the children you benefit –

It’s easy to create your own “fun’raiser” and collect books for children in need wherever they may be in your community.

At your next event – whether it’s a party, meeting or dinner – simply ask each guest to bring a book! Then drop us a line and share what you’ve achieved.

Would you like more ideas?

Information and ideas about holding Bring a Book, Bring a Friend Fun’raisers are available through the Foundation to help benefit the children of any school, organization or community. Up to five compliment consultation hours will be given.

K is for Kids also seeks volunteers, donors and sponsors to join its circle of readers to help spread our message while we continue to expand our outreach.

To learn more about how you can join our cause, please email [email protected].

Do the students of your school or the children in your organization need more books to read?

Do the youth of your school or organization need more opportunities to apply and develop their skills in a “real world” setting?

Would you like to help spread our grassroots cause in your community?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, K is for Kids will help provide the tools and information you need to get started.

Email [email protected] or call 239.596.KIDS (5437) to learn more.

“You can never have too many books for children to read.”

— Charles Frontz, Principal of Laurel Oak Elementary School in Naples, Florida, shown above, reflecting on his students’ enthusiasm for reading. (2008)

HOW IT ALL BEGAN:
It all began more than a decade ago when one mom began collecting books and the money to buy books so that students at her children’s elementary school would have more books to read, in and out of school. When parents asked how they could help, the first Bring a Book, Bring a Friend® Fun’raiser was held. An immediate success, the Bring a Book became an annual event drawing in the community – parents, staff, and neighbors – and business partners (GL Homes became the first) to help arm children with relevant, up-to-date books and reading resources that they needed to succeed in school and in life. Each year a children’s book author would attend, too, adding to the excitement.

With mounting need and requests by other schools and nonprofits, efforts expanded county-wide in 2008 with the launch of K is for Kids Foundation in 2008. Teens, especially high school students nearing graduation, became the energy and inspiration fueling the grassroots cause as they earned community service hours important for school and college.

University students now are very active in fun’raising and are helping to advance our mission “building readers and leaders” on their campuses and in their communities, as they too earn service learning hours.

Readers are leaders!