HOUSTON
Volunteers collect 70,000 books for HISD kids
Karen Warren, Staff
Guadalupe Harper helps box up books for the nonprofit project Books Between Kids, which was started by two River Oaks
moms and has ballooned from there.
By Ryan Rockett
March 6, 2013
In a boxlike warehouse near Reliant Stadium, about 35 volunteers tirelessly lift, sort and package huge piles
of children's books.
Sandra Ahlhorn and Amy Barnes, founders of Books Between Kids, reach into large shipping boxes strewn
across the left side of the warehouse, grabbing handfuls of used books and placing them on the floor.
Volunteers then stack the books on circular foldout
tables in the middle of the room, where they are sorted
by genres and reading levels. Another group places the
books into smaller, labeled boxes ready to ship to
Houston ISD schools.
"Another one down!" a man in a gray sweatshirt shouts
as he tosses another empty box into a trash bin.
The room erupts in hoots and hollers as Barnes,
Ahlhorn and the volunteers helping them approach the
end of the project. Ultimately the effort yielded about
66,500 books, enough to give six books each to more
than 11,000 kids.
"We're just two moms," Barnes said. "We're on a
journey."
Ahlhorn and Barnes, both 43, and other volunteers have spent the past two weekends sifting through 16 tons
of books donated to their nonprofit organization, Books Between Kids. The two plan to distribute the books a literary smorgasbord ranging from Dick and Jane to Dr. Seuss to the Hardy Boys - to selected HISD
schools before summer break.
Need to read in summer
Barnes said the two were inspired by HISD reading statistics indicating a "summer slide" in elementary-level
reading comprehension when students are out of school.
Karen Warren, Staff
Gently used books wait to be sifted through by volunteers. The nearly 70,000 books will then be given to selected Houston
ISD underprivileged students.
"We found out that there was a high need," Barnes said. "Reading scores are indicative of the fact that they
are not reading during the summer."
Ahlhorn began organizing book drives in 2009 at River Oaks Elementary, which her daughter attends. She
collaborated with faculty and staff to collect used books from students to distribute to Sinclair and Alcott
elementary schools.
The positive response inspired Ahlhorn to think bigger.
"When they saw us coming in with boxes of books, (the kids) were just astounded," Ahlhorn said. "It makes
me so sad because my child has never known any different. It's just amazing to me that kids are so excited to
get those books."
The books will be stored in an HISD warehouse while the two work with district officials to identify which
schools will receive them. Barnes and Ahlhorn hope to present the books in an end-of-year book fair format,
where children select the titles they're most interested in.
Starting project
Last year Ahlhorn and Barnes, longtime friends, joined forces to create Books Between Kids. They applied
for a donation from Better World Books, an online book seller that also operates as a fundraiser for nonprofit
literacy organizations. Barnes said the two were surprised when they saw an 18-wheel truck filled with used
children's books.
"We thought we would only get about 10,000 books max," Barnes said.
Undaunted, the two moms took to social media to recruit volunteers. Through SignUp Genius, an online
volunteer registration tool, and Volunteer Houston, as well as personal connections, Barnes and Ahlhorn
corralled more than 100 volunteers to organize the massive book load.
Katie Morgan, a former teacher at River Oaks Elementary, said her knowledge of student reading trends
inspired her to pitch in.
"As a teacher we would see a lot of children leave in May and start in August farther behind," said Morgan,
30. "If we can make a difference in just a few children's lives and inspire them to find a love of reading then I
think it's worth the time."
Goal for annual drive
While this was the first time the two co-founders attempted a project of this scale, Barnes and Ahlhorn hope
to make it an annual effort.
"We plan to get the Better World Books donation again as well as a few others," Ahlhorn said. "Our goal is
to return to each school every year once we're in it."
Barnes said Books Between Kids aims to give poor children the same opportunity for reading as their more
affluent peers.
"In many households books are luxury items; food, clothes and shelter have to come first," Barnes said.
"How can we not do something about that?"