35,000 Schools and Programs 

That's right, there are now 35,000 schools and programs serving kids in need in First Book's national network.

That’s 35,000 classrooms, libraries, church groups, afterschool programs, homeless shelters, military programs and daycare centers; all with permanent, ongoing access to a steady stream of brand-new, high-quality books. 

We're reaching a lot of kids in need. But we need your help to reach even more.

And (Almost) One Hundred Million Books

First Book is on track to distribute our 100 millionth book before the end of the year. Woot! That means we've put new books into the hands of tens of millions of kids, and - together - we've created millions of readers.

Help us reach that milestone. Every $2.50 donation pays for a new book for a child from a low-income family. Click here to donate.

We'll have more news in the weeks and months to come, including how you can help us choose the 100 millionth book. Hmmm. So many great books to choose from. So please stay tuned ... follow us on Facebook or Twitter, and if you get an email from First Book, open it!

(We try not to send you too many emails; if you ever feel like you're being inundated, drop us a line and let us know. We like getting feedback from our supporters.)

When Life Gives You Lemons

Speaking of First Book supporters, we were charmed and humbled recently by the story of Malaika Abramson, age 10, who created a book review site that pays her a share of the profits whenever anyone buys one of the books she reviews. Rather than keep the money, though, she has donated it to First Book so that other kids could have books of their own.

Altogether, she's raised enough to provide 30 brand-new books to kids in need. 

Oh, and when she wasn't raising enough through the website? She started a lemonade stand. Nice work, Malaika. You're setting the bar pretty high.

Who Is A Social Entreprenuer?

Kyle Zimmer, First Book's president and CEO, was invited to China by the World Economic Forum recently, where she spoke about our work, and how First Book is at the forefront of innovative thinking about social entrepreneurship and social impact investing.

Serious-sounding stuff, but it's really just a new way of thinking about how to use market forces to achieve social goals - like putting new books into the hands of kids from low-income families.

We're proud to put new thinking into action, and even prouder that our leader is one of the brilliant minds leading the charge. Kyle shared some of her thoughts last week on the Huffington Post and the World Economic Form's blog.

Click here to read what she had to say.

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