Love reading? How to stock local kids’ home libraries this summer

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Calling all book lovers, community champions and supporters of young readers! STAIR of Birmingham has launched its Stock our Shelves Campaign, and you can be part of the fun this summer. Read on to learn why it’s more than just your average book drive and how you can compete to collect books or raise the most funds to win two day passes to the Sidewalk Film Festival this August.

What is STAIR of Birmingham + the importance of the Stock our Shelves Campaign

STAIR (Start the Adventure in Reading) is a local nonprofit that provides one-on-one reading tutoring to Birmingham elementary students who need a little extra support. 

While tutoring takes place during the school year, STAIR confirms that students—especially those from under-resourced communities—can lose significant reading progress over the summer months without access to books or enrichment.

To help fill this gap, STAIR does something special: It gives every student in the program 10-12 brand-new books to take home and keep. This allows them to build their home libraries, continue reading over the summer, maintain the literacy skills they’ve gained and best of all, begin a lifelong love of reading.

3 ways you can help STAIR’s Stock our Shelves Campaign

Up to 200 students are expected in STAIR’s program next school year, which means they need hundreds of books to stock their shelves. To make it happen, they need help from the community.

Here are three ways you can get involved in STAIR’s Stock our Shelves Campaign and have fun while doing it:

1. Donate directly to the campaign

Online donations are a quick, easy and powerful way to pitch in, fuel more reading and support STAIR’s programs. 

To donate to the campaign:

• Visit this link + choose “Stock our Shelves” in the “My Donation is For” drop-down menu. 

2. Buy books from the STAIR Library List at Thank You Books

Love shopping local and supporting a good cause? Swing by Thank you Books in Crestwood and pick up titles from the curated STAIR Library Book List. Grab a few or a stack, donate them to the campaign and you’ve helped stock a kid’s home library. 

• Thank You Books’ address: 5502B Crestwood Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35212

3. Launch a summer book drive 

Feeling ambitious? Challenge your coworkers, rally your book club or get your neighborhood buzzing by starting a book drive or fundraiser. Make it exciting by seeing who can collect the most books or raise the most funds. 

Bonus: The top group or individual wins bragging rights and two Sidewalk Film Fest Day passes. 

The competition runs now through July 31. Here’s how to participate:

• Visit this link.
• Select the books you’d like to add to your shopping cart.
• At checkout, type your Book Drive team name (e.g., #TeamAwesome) in the optional “purchase order #” box.
• Select “pick up in store” + the STAIR team will pick up your donation for you.

Ready to boost student reading this summer? Visit STAIR of Birmingham’s website to learn more and join the campaign. 

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