Agency: The Children's Book Bank

Description:

Join a group of volunteers on a done-in-a-day project led by a Hands On Greater Portland volunteer leader. No advance training or ongoing commitment required, so sign up and participate in a project that fits your schedule. Need help signing up? Call 503-200-3355.

As a Teach for America high school math teacher in rural North Carolina from 1991 to 1993, Danielle Swope, the founder of The Children’s Book Bank, experienced firsthand how students from poor families struggled to succeed in school. Interestingly, the most significant obstacle she faced teaching math was that her students' reading skills were so limited. The high school in which she taught was neither underequipped, nor understaffed, nor underfunded, as she expected when she arrived. Rather, upon reflection, it became clear that the lack of resources at home was a contributing factor, and that the students she taught had, years before, arrived in kindergarten lacking the foundational literacy skills on which their future educations would be built.

For children in poverty, one of the biggest obstacles to literacy development (which begins at birth) is the scarcity of books in the home. While the ratio of books to children in middle-income neighborhoods is approximately 13 books to 1 child, the ratio in low-income neighborhoods is 1 book to 300 children. The Children’s Book Bank seeks to get more books into the hands and homes of young children who might not otherwise have books of their own. The CBB encourages and appreciates Book Donations from our volunteers. Before arriving for your volunteer session we urge you to gather any new or gently used children's books you can. Contacting friends, family members, neighbors and co-workers can bring in a surprising number of books!

Sign up below to come lend a hand as we spruce-up, sort and bundle donated books which will later be distributed to low-income preschool children in the Portland area!

The Children's Book Bank accepts and appreciates book donations, however small, from our volunteer groups. So please take the time to gather whatever gently used children's books may be in your home and neighborhood before you arrive at the volunteer session. Thank you!

* The Children’s Book Bank is also looking for individuals, schools, clubs, congregations, and businesses interested in hosting book drives to collect the books their children have outgrown and are no longer reading. If you’re interested, please contact Tom at: tomm@childrensbookbank.org

AGE REQUIREMENTS & WAIVER:

• Volunteers must be 4 years of age or older to attend this project.
• Any volunteer under age 13 must attend with a parent or adult chaperone.
• All volunteers under 18 are required to bring a waiver signed by their parent or legal guardian. 

PLEASE NOTE: If you plan to bring your children to the event, you must reserve slots for them, as the capacity of this project is 12 people total, regardless of age.

The best way to sign up your family for a project is by creating a family Volunteer Team:

1. First, log in to your account at http://bit.ly/HandsOnRegister.
2. Click “Create a Volunteer Team,” and create your family team (please include an e-mail address for each team member who is 13 years or older).
3. Return to this project’s page and click “Select One of my Teams” (below the “Sign Me Up” button) to sign up individual family team members for the project. 
4. If it turns out any team members can’t make it, please remove them from the project to open up those slots to other volunteers.

Impact Areas: Children & Youth, Community Enrichment, Children & Youth

Interests: The interests recommended for this project are:
Youth & Family Services, Community Enrichment, Children & Youth, Education

Skills: The skills helpful for participation in this project are:
Working with People, Heavy Lifting, Reading