How are you making an impact?

Remember the first book that you felt was speaking directly to you? The first book that made you feel seen? Or the first book that helped you through a difficult experience? Maybe you got all that from one book or from multiple books, over the course of your childhood.

Imagine not having access to those books. How would your life be different? 25% of Canadian households do not own a single book. Many kids in need are facing enormous barriers to learning and positive social and emotional development, due to poverty, trauma, poor health and more. These kids, especially, need the mirrors of self-reflection and windows of inspiration and possibility that a good book provides.

The following is a story from a Parent Resource Coordinator in Winnipeg, MB:

 If it weren’t for First Book Canada, we wouldn’t have a literacy program.

“The inner city and core of Winnipeg is a diverse community, with many newcomers to Canada who have experienced war-trauma and are navigating language barriers. In addition to dealing with poor housing, health issues, and food instability, newcomer families must also confront the stressor of gangs, who often recruit children right out of the airport. Many Indigenous children have been placed in foster care, and they are dealing with the stress and trauma of being pulled from their families.

The Family Room, alongside a network of community programs, is a space for families to access basic needs and spend the quality time that they need to strengthen their family. Parent Resource Coordinators work as a bridge to the community for these families who are new to Canada or are struggling with barriers as a result of low-income.

The children and students who receive books from First Book Canada begin to talk about what they can do, careers they didn’t realize were possible, and places they want to visit. The books they receive become an open door to what is possible. Staff have seen kids who visited the Family Room with their parents as preschoolers return to their library pop-ups as elementary school students.

The continued support of parents in the community, and from the corporate volunteers who come in and read with the students, has been immensely valuable. The Parent Resource Coordinator would like to acknowledge all that First Book Canada has done for kids who visit the Family Rooms. The opportunity that First Book Canada has given to rural areas across Canada is crucial in strengthening families in need.”

This is how your donation makes an impact. Your donation provides books that go home with kids in need. Your generosity shows kids, throughout the country, that they are not alone, that their feelings are valid, and that they can dream big: bigger than they ever knew they could.

With First Book Canada, your donation transforms the life of a Canadian child by giving them an experience lived through a special book of their own, making an impact on their future success, today.