📚 Thank you for being a supporter of the Kindle Classroom Project! This year, 2,000 young people in Oakland and San Francisco will have unlimited access to books they choose to read. The growth is staggering and exciting. Here are some updates.
The KCP reaches another milestone: 2,000 Kindles!When I started the Kindle Classroom Project, it took a year for the first 15 Kindles to arrive. Now they come in almost every day! Each new Kindle means that another young person gets a library in their hands.A big thanks to all these generous people who have donated their Kindles over the last several months. Thank you!Brian (Racine, WI), Wendy (San Francisco, CA), Erik (Pleasanton, CA), Brian (Lansdowne, VA), Jessica (Anchorage, AK), Cheri (Mountain View, CA), Karen (Denton, TX), Taylor (Andover, MA), Maggie (Chapel Hill, NC), Richard (Aurora, CO), Kendra (Alexandria, VA), Ceylan (Goleta, CA), Sandra (Wesley Chapel, FL), Dorothy (Philadelphia, PA), Dawson(Burbank, CA), Janet (El Sobrante, CA), Uketa (Columbus, GA), Diane(Park Falls, WI), Elizabeth (Wading River, NY), Anne (Winchester, MA), Alison (Yacolt, WA), Lori (Oceanside, CA), Mike (Downingtown, PA), Lorrain (Los Angeles, CA), Anthony (San Diego, CA), Molly (Mammoth Lakes, CA), Alendra (University Park, MD), Jan (Littleton, CO), Roger(Millcreek, UT), Karyn (Beaumont, TX), Donna (Lakeside, CA), Martin(New York, NY), Ed (San Anselmo, CA), Mariana (San Francisco, CA), Tyler& Nathalie (Menlo Park, CA), Chris (Frederick, CO), Ben & Julie (Port Townsend, WA), Katherine (Honeoye Falls, NY), Douglas (Berkeley, CA), John (Boulder, CO), Maceo (Arverne, NY), Peter & Brenda (Williston, VT), Carole (El Sobrante, CA), Susan (Bellevue, NE), Robin (Bronx, NY), Gladmon Family (Centennial, CO), Garry (Garland, TX), Cynthia (Hastings on Hudson, NY), Daniel (Ijamsville, MD), Chris (Sandy, OR), Ellen(Okemos< MI), Cheryl (Lakewood, CO), Elizabeth (Atlanta, GA), Jensen(Colorado Springs, CO), Stefan (Queens, NY), Bob (San Francisco, CA), Bodo (Mechanicsville, VA), Melissa (Palm Coast, FL), Linda (Torrance, CA), Susan (New York, NY), Gene & Mimi (Los Osos, CA), Christine (Berwyn, PA), Lauren (Woodside, CA), Michelle (San Francisco, CA), Joe (Seattle, WA), Katherine (Frisco, TX), Jenny & Brenda (Sun City West, AZ), Brian(San Francisco, CA) LeAnne (Fremont, CA), Ben (Port Noarlunga, South Australia), Christopher (Durham, NC), Kathy (Harrisburg, PA), Luyi(Fulton, MD), Scott (Columbus, OH), Susan (Shoreham, NY), Rachel(Hermantown, MN), Toni (Apex, NC), Robyn (Redmond, WA), Chris (Los Angeles, CA), Kathy (Cortland, OH), Florence (Campbell, CA), Jill(Newark, DE), Kristin (Sunnyvale, CA), Bas (Pinole, CA), Shirin (Denver, CO), Stephanie (Gary, IN), Kim (Layton, UT), Carl (Oakland, CA), and Derek (Orlando, FL) — plus several anonymous donors!+ Also, I’d like to thank Alicia (San Mateo, CA), who connected me with an Amazon executive — which led to the company’s donation of 200 Kindles!The on-demand KCP Library grows to 1,586 books
The KCP believes in letting young people choose what they want to read. That means there’s a rule at the KCP Library: Only students get to request new books. And request they do!It’s an easy process: If a student can’t find the book they want to read, they go to the KCP website, request it, and it gets delivered to their Kindle within 24 hours. Even better: The book becomes available to other students to download, plus the book never goes missing or gets worn.If you like, browse the high school library and the middle school library!Here are all the great people who have given money for books over the last several months. Thank you!Iris (San Diego, CA), Lori (Oceanside, CA), Becky (Woodside, NY), Brian(Leesburg, VA), Toni (Apex, NC), Chris (Montgomery Vlg, MD), Ma’Lanee(Bear, DE), Elder Family Foundation (Berkeley, CA), Sharon (Naperville, IL), Stuart (NY, NY), Sherril (Pacifica, CA), Dina (Saratoga, CA), Pat(Garfield, NJ), Pat (Santa Rosa, CA), Michelle (Alameda, CA), Jamie(Oakland, CA), Tom & Rob (San Francisco, CA), Carl & Phoebe (Santa Cruz, CA), Allison (Orange, CA), Bob (New York, NY), Dani & Sarah(Saratoga, CA), Bob (Kirlkand, WA), Jennifer (Berkeley, CA), Fred (San Francisco, CA), Karen (Highland Vlg, TX), Nicole (Quincy, WA), Marjorie(Palo Alto, CA), Donna (Lakeside, CA), Bece (Stockton, CA), Larkin (San Francisco, CA), Peter (San Francisco, CA), Kilian (Oakland, CA), Michelle(Alameda, CA), Matt (San Francisco, CA), Sonya (Oak Park, IL), Zaretta (El Sobrante, CA), Bruce (Alamo, CA), Chris (Gaithersburg, MD), Lisa(Henderson, NV), Jessica (Oakland, CA), Nicole (Hayward, CA), Kathy(Harrisburg, PA), Gregory (Oakland, CA), Kathy (Cortland, OH), Shivani(San Francisco, CA), Allen (San Francisco, CA), Neil (San Francisco, CA), Stewart (San Francisco, CA).At Elmhurst Community Prep, everyone gets a Kindle
For the second year in a row, all 400+ students and 30+ staff at Elmhurst Community Prep in Oakland will participate in the Kindle Classroom Project. For a long time, ECP has believed in the power of a strong independent reading program. The only challenge has been how to make sure there are enough high-quality, high-interest books for their students to read. With its partnership with the KCP, this problem is no longer!Last year, its first year with Kindles, ECP students doubled the amount they read, from 30 million words to 60 million words.I am deeply impressed with literacy coaches Curt and Mariko, who lead the reading program. Over the summer, they renovated the library, registered 400 new Kindles, and coordinated a community event, involving 50+ volunteers from Salesforce and The Movement Church.Last Wednesday, the 130 seventh graders received their Kindles. “These Kindles have everything!” one student exclaimed. Students are reading all the time: at lunch, while waiting for the bus, in math class, and at home. I can’t wait to see what happens at ECP this year!Would you like to support the KCP this year?
You’ve donated to the KCP before — that’s the reason you’re receiving this newsletter in the first place! By no means do you need to contribute again.But if you’re interested, I am asking for your support! In order for all 2,000 students to be able to read whatever they want, however much they want, the program costs about $10 per student per year. Not bad, right?Here are 3 ways you can support the KCP:+ Make a donation via PayPal or the Cash app. After fees, 97% of your donation will go directly to purchasing books that students request.+ Become a sustaining donor via Amazon Allowance. 100% of your donation will go directly to purchasing books that students request. Just $5 a month goes a very long way!+ Check out the KCP Wishlist if you’re interested in donating new Kindles, charging stations, or Amazon gift cards.* * * * *Thank you very much for opening up this email and for reading the KCP Newsletter! Please feel free to hit reply and let me know what you think. I am very interested in hearing from you! Also, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, it’s easy to unsubscribe. Have a great September, and thank you again for supporting the Kindle Classroom Project. Happy reading! 📚
