Jonathan Wier: Hey Ayla!

 

 

Ayla Brown: Hey!

 

 

JW: What’s good?

 

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AB: I love this because It is a local story. Sisters Paige and Ashley. They sent me this story about their nonprofit they started back in 2016. And I personally, immediately connected with their mission because, I don’t know about you, but I was such a little bookworm growing up...

 

 

JW: Yup, totally.

 

 

AB: I was one of those people that I just wanted to fill in all the colors of the worm and get to the end by the end of the summer and have ten books under my belt and just be really proud of myself. Well, they started a group called Up With Books, it’s based in Groton, Massachusetts. It started because the girls, like me, grew up loving to read in their house, and as they got older they were shocked to find out how many children in their local communities didn’t have access to books, especially new books. In their research they learned that many children from low income families cannot read at their grade level and often fall behind and rarely catch up, and far too many drop out of school. So their mission over the past five years has been to promote reading and literacy by providing new books to low income children. Through Up With Books, they provide books to food pantries so people can bring those books home to read. They also run a summer reading program where they provide a backpack filled with a bunch of books to help kids in need. And just this past year alone they filled up, guess how many backpacks? This is a local group just doing really great things.

 

 

JW: A dozen.

 

 

AB: No!

 

 

JW: I was trying to keep it low.

 

 

AB: 800! 

 

 

JW: 800?

 

 

AB: 800 backpacks filled with books for local kids.

 

 

JW: Wow!

 

 

AB: So if our listeners want to check them out and maybe learn more about  their organization, what they are trying to do for people in our community go to upwithbooks.org. That's your feel good story for today, brought to you from Groton, Mass!

 

 

JW: Because if you think about it too, though, the kids who need them most would be those kids who can't get them. Not only just because it's important to read, but also I think they may need to escape reality. Because I know that's why I read! 

 

 

AB: Yeah!

 

 

JW: That's so great. What is the website again?

 

 

AB: It's called upwithbooks.org!