Updates from some recent book giveaways!

Our Kid 'N Play Event (highlighting The LEGO Foundation's fundamental belief that kids learn through PLAY!): https://www.instagram.com/p/C_vhdzsSEH8/

Our book giveaway & performance at Detroit's MiSide Early Childhood Development Center: https://www.instagram.com/p/C_0yolwOgqw/

We also gave away books to community partners and caregivers at #TEDxDetroit 2024!

CHECK OUT THESE PHOTOS!

Pour Forward's President, Cari Chambers, spread the love of early literacy to Minneapolis, MN, USA! We are so proud of Cari for giving away dozens and dozens of books to kiddos in need.

NEXT UP?
• Wayne County Health Department's Safe Sleep Extravaganza Event
• Riverside Marina's Trunk-or-Treat Event
• Read-Along with Mister Boots at the Detroit Public Library!

We have truly enjoyed executing this project and impacting our communities. Together, we can truly make a difference.

Thank you ChangeX, The LEGO Foundation and Book Dash!

The book giveaways have been SO GREAT thus far!

We've hosted pop ups:
- Emagine Health Services
- Wayne County Department of Health
- Riverside Marina
- UPCOMING: Live Reading & Book Giveaway @ Nu Era Gaming Den

Looking to keep this momentum going for sure!

We'll also be at TEDxDetroit 2024...and the Wayne County Safe Sleep Extravaganza!

The books are in and we're getting ready for our first giveaway!!!

Books ordered ✅

We are so excited!

Next update: when they've arrived!

We've chosen our flagship book for Mister Boots Stories for Change!

"I don't want to go to sleep," is perfect for our brand and audience.

Plus, it will make a great read for Mister Boots Bedtime Stories!

https://bookdash.org/books/i-dont-want-to-go-to-sleep/#read-book

#MisterBootsStoriesforChange

We're all ready to get this reading party started!

The official blog post announcing Mister Boots Stories for Change: https://www.thenaptimeshow.com/post/mister-boots-stories-for-change-revolutionizing-early-literacy-in-southeast-michigan

Get a limited edition Mister Boots Stories for Change T-Shirt: https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/00aabd03-0a18-4864-8a71-261becc17f3a

Action plan:

Marina - Partner with our friends at the Riverside Marina to hand out books to children and caregivers through the entrance desk

Church - Partner with Goodwill Missionary Baptist Church to host a giveaway event for the Tireman neighborhood

Bedtime Stories: Have character Mister Boots read a ChangeX book on the YouTube series and announce the giveaway to stir excitement and awareness

Omega Psi Phi (historically Black fraternity) - Partner with Eric's fraternity chapter to host a local giveaway as a community initiative

NU Era Gaming Den - Host a "Play & Read" event at family gaming den to harness the power of play to encourage community connection and literacy 

DPS connections - Partner with our connections in the Detroit Public Schools system (2 schools in particular) to give away books to classrooms

Email newsletter advertising - Announce to our email subscribers that they can fill out a form to receive a free book 

Childcare center owners we know - Centers we've worked with and visited in the past, we'll visit again for live storytimes and to pass out books

Southfield Public Library (read aloud and pass out) - Host a book read aloud and pass out event

Be Our Neighbor Day (Aug 14, 2024) - Annual event in partnership with Detroit PBS, we will give away free books at our booth/table

Timeline: When will you be able to start your project? How often will your team meet? Are there any key dates to share for the project?

• We began the project with our first meeting on Sunday, June 30th


• We'll begin setting pop up dates with our larger group (our nonprofit arm) on July 7th during a meeting


• We'll have meetings weekly on Sunday evenings 


• We hope to have this project completed by the end of Q3

Budget: You don't need to share exact prices, but please share how you're planning to spend the seed funding & what costs you're anticipating to get your project up and running:

• We plan on spending the seed funding on:
  
  
  
  • Costs to print the books
  
  
  • Booking NU Era Gaming Den venue for "Play & Read" event
  
  
  • Marketing
  
  
  
  

Impact: How will your community benefit from this project? Do you have any measurable goals for your project, such as the number of people that will participate? Are you hoping to spread knowledge or increase interest in a specific subject?

• We'll measure impact by the following:
  
  
  
  • 
    Surveying Families and Kids: Why not ask the families and kids who received the books how they feel about them? We'll create a simple, kid-friendly survey to find out which books they loved the most, how often they read, and if it made their bedtime routine even more special. We'll encourage them to share stories or draw pictures of their favorite moments with the books!
  
  
  • 
    Tracking Reading Time: Through partnering with local schools and libraries to keep track of how often children are reading the new books. Teachers and librarians can help by noting any increase in reading time or improvements in reading skills and enthusiasm. 
  
  
  • 
    Community Feedback: Through hosting fun events where families can come together to talk about their favorite books and how the giveaway has impacted their lives. This can be a great way to see firsthand the joy and excitement the books have brought to the community. Plus, it’s a perfect opportunity to build connections and strengthen community bonds.
  
  
  • 
    Social Media and Photos: Encourage families to share pictures and stories on social media using a special hashtag (still figuring out what it will be). This way, we can see all the smiles and happiness the books are bringing into homes. Plus, it’s a wonderful way to spread the word and inspire others to join in the joy of reading!
  
  
  • 
    Follow-Up Events: Through events like book readings, storytime sessions, or book swaps, we'll keep the momentum going. These events can help us see how engaged the community remains and how the initiative continues to make a positive difference.
  
  
  
  

Location: If your project requires physical space, have you decided the location? Do you have all necessary permission and permits to carry out your project at the chosen location?

All of the physical spaces we'll need to carry out our project, we have personal connections to (family and friends). They have all expressed great excitement to partner with us on this impact mission.