The City of Vancouver proclaimed Friday, November 1, 2013 A Good Book Drive Day, honoring the annual book drive project that celebrates the stories we read, share and love.
A Good Book Drive inspires Vancouverites to donate a new copy of their favourite kids' book with the next generation of readers. The second annual drive aims to collect 3,000 books by the end of the month for the Frontier College Waiting Room Literacy Pilot project.
The Frontier College Waiting Room Literacy Pilot aims to improve the reading and writing skills of mothers and children before and after their medical appointments at Vancouver's Oak Tree Clinic. The clinic -- a specialized unit within BC Women's and BC Children's hospitals that provides care for vulnerable women and children -- has invited Frontier College's trained staff and volunteers to work on-site with their predominantly low-literacy patients. Their goals are to improve reading skills of the whole family, help mothers understand the importance and joy of reading with their babies, refer parents to further learning courses in Vancouver. The books donated to A Good Book Drive will be used for this project, and at least one will be given to each family for them to own and love.
Launched in 2012, A Good Book Drive collected over 1,000 books for East Vancouver literacy program the Writers' Exchange. Established by Cory Ashworth and Lizzy Karp, A Good Book Drive was inspired by the way adults talk about kids' books. "When people tell me about childhood memories of reading, they share incredibly rich stories," says Lizzy Karp, producer of local storytelling event Rain City Chronicles. "Our passion for storytelling is influenced by what we read as a kid, so we wanted to create an element in this book drive to celebrate those stories." Adds Cory Ashworth, Morning Host of 102.7 The Peak, "We want an opportunity to reflect on the books and powerful stories that impacted our lives in big and small ways."
Running through the month of November, A Good Book Drive asks Vancouverites to purchase a new copy of their favourite kids' book and deliver it to set locations throughout the city including Collage Collage, Nelson the Seagull, Dilly Dally, The Juice Truck and many more. There, donors will be able to personalize their donation with a special bookplate, sharing their own story of why that book is special. By permanently placing those stories within the cover of the books, Frontier College Waiting Room Literacy Pilot participants will read the personal narratives and learn about the impact of that book on someone else's life.
A Good Book Drive will be sharing images and stories of the books donated throughout the month of November, and host a wrap-up party featuring Vancouver book-lovers of all ages reading children's books on November 30 at Nelson the Seagull.