Chapter Twelve: News from Madison Reading Project

We have been overjoyed and feeling incredibly grateful for all of the support our community has given us this year and during our annual Community Book Drive and holiday giving events.

In November and December we shared 18,318 books with children and families in Dane County through our partnerships with over 30 schools and community organizations. Highlights included our annual partnership with Empty Stocking Club where we gave over 9000 books in two days and enrolled 438 children in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library!

We were selected by the First Lady of Wisconsin to be the recipient of her annual book drive through a partnership with Mystery to Me bookstore. Books were collected at the Governors Mansion throughout the month and some of our staff members had the honor of touring the mansion and collecting a portion of the book donations earlier this month.

The Community Book Drive wrapped up with a final tally of over 8000 donated books and $103,906 raised! Our team had a great time working with local businesses, organizations and volunteers to bring book joy to thousands of Dane County kids this holiday season and beyond!

Our Year-to-Date Impact

Books given: 123,897
Kids impacted: 100,568
Community partners served: 203

Our Impact Since 2014

Books given: 501,249
Kids impacted: 320,543

Book Joy for the Holidays

We have had an amazing couple of months partnering with local organizations to share the joy of reading during the holidays. This year we worked in collaboration with over 30 community organizations to give away over 18,000 books and toys to local families.

Fundraising/Events

We extend our everlasting gratitude to you all as we’ve had a joyous year of reaching our goals and beyond. We’ve extended our programming, grew our outreach, exceeded our Community Book Drive giving and our overall book giving capacity. (Don’t forget - we’ve got a second Big Read Reading Bus on the way!) Cheers to another year of giving kids that #NewBookFeeling.

Did You Know- A Tax-Saving Way to Help Madison Reading Project

Make a difference today and save as tax season is on the horizon. It is possible when you support us through your IRA. Supporting MRP through your IRA gives those 70.5 years old and older a special opportunity through deductions.

You can give any amount (up to a maximum of $100,000) per year from your IRA directly, to a qualified charity such as Madison Reading Project without having to pay income taxes on the money. Since this particular gift doesn’t count as income, it can reduce your annual income level. Reach out to our development team for more information!

New to the Blog

This collection of picture books for kids includes fiction and nonfiction stories that showcase the magic of winter. Each book demonstrates the beauty and joy that can be found even in the coldest weather. Cozy up and enjoy some of these wintry tales from around the world!

This month, we also highlighted the incredible work being done at Pride and Less Prejudice. PLP is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization working to create more inclusive classrooms by way of children’s literature. They send LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books to educators in preschool through third grade classrooms in the US for free.