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Opportunity Details
Repair Children's Books w/ The Children's Book Bank (age 10+) *Impact Week*
SMART Reading is a statewide children’s literacy nonprofit with a mission to spark joy and opportunity through the magic of a shared book. Through our Children’s Book Bank, we advance child literacy, encourage family bonding, and ignite curiosity by getting thousands of books into the hands of local kids.
The Children’s Book Bank at SMART Reading provides a place for community members to donate the books their children have outgrown, and then our amazing volunteers bring these gently-used books back to life.
Come lend a hand as we spruce-up donated books which will later be distributed to thousands of children in the Portland area. Every book is inspected and cleaned by volunteers, which includes wiping covers, taping torn pages, erasing scribbles, covering inscriptions, and reinforcing worn spines. No previous experience with children's books is needed.
Sign up below to help us give new life to donated books!
FAQs:
Can I bring books to donate? Yes, of course! You are welcome to bring either new or gently-used books with you to this volunteer event. Our highest needs are picture books for kids under six, and books in Spanish. If you're interested in learning more about hosting a book drive for SMART Reading, click here.
Where do the books go? The Book Bank gives away over 75,000 books to Portland area kids each year. This includes giving every child in Head Start in Multnomah County a bag of their own books, as well as offering free book fairs to elementary schools and providing books to a variety of community partners.
Can children participate? Children 10 or older are welcome to join! Please see the Project Requirements section for important information about volunteers under 18.
Can I bring guests? Absolutely! This is a great activity to do with friends, but you MUST reserve slots for them. The best way to do this is to create a Volunteer Team. You can then sign up your team for this project.
Location & Accessibility:
The Children’s Book Bank at SMART Reading is located at 1915 NE 7th Ave, Portland, OR 97212
It is a single story, ADA-accessible building, that can be easily accessed by TriMet. If you would like to reserve a parking spot before the session, please email bookbank@smartreading.org, so we can hold an accessible parking spot for you.
On site we have a single-stall, gender-neutral bathroom. If the chairs are uncomfortable or cause any pain during your session, we also have seat cushions available if you ask.
Masking is optional, but if you would like to request a masked session due to accessibility, we are happy to accommodate that! Please email this request to bookbank@smartreading.org at least a week prior to your session so we can communicate this to other volunteers attending.
Project Requirements:
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Volunteers must be 10 years of age or older to attend this project; any volunteer under age 15 must attend with a parent or adult chaperone.
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All volunteers under 18 are required to bring a Youth Volunteer Release Form signed by their parent or legal guardian. Please download, complete, and bring this waiver with you on the day of the project.
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If you plan to bring children or guests you MUST reserve slots for them. The best way to do this is to create a Volunteer Team, then sign up your team for this project. In the spirit of creating an atmosphere where people from all parts of our community are coming together to volunteer,
Team Captains are only able to reserve up to 50% of the spots on any individual Community Impact Week Service Project. Team Captains are required to provide names and email addresses for each team member (over the age of 13) in order to hold spaces on a volunteer project or they may be removed from the project. Questions? Email handson@unitedway-pdx.org
Click "Sign Up" below to reserve your spot! Need help signing up? Email handson@unitedway-pdx.org.
Children & Youth Education, Schools
Age Minimum (with Adult): 15+, Minimum Age:10+
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