The Philadelphia Reads’ mission is to build a city of readers by providing hands-on and philanthropic opportunities for businesses, corporations, church, youth and community groups and individuals to strengthen the literacy skills of Philadelphia school children. Our goal is to help Philadelphia students in under-resourced schools build literacy skills and achieve reading proficiency by grade four.

Volunteer Opportunity:  Host A Children’s Book Drive

We’re recruiting companies, community groups, youth groups and individuals to host a children’s book drive to stock the Book Bank. The Book Bank recycles these gently-used books directly into the hands of teachers for use in their classroom libraries. Because of budget cuts, funds for classroom libraries have been drastically reduced. The Book Bank — modeled on an actual book store — but free of charge — makes these gently-used children’s books available to Philadelphia teachers in public, private, charter, parochial and community schools.

It’s easy to host a Book Drive:

    Philadelphia Reads provides a tool kit of information.

    Collect gently-used books for students in pre-school to 5th grade.

   Record Children’s Books on Tape

   Want to express your dramatic voice and promote children’s literacy?

We’re recruiting volunteers to record children’s picture books on tape/CD.  Each book and tape/CD are shelved in the Book Bank and available for teachers — free of charge — for their classrooms. Volunteers are welcome to record these dramatic readings together! Children love hearing more than one voice on a tape as they follow along in the book.