Read All About It!

For Immediate Release
20 February 2008

CHICAGO – At the gala Venetian-themed wedding of opera singer Genevieve Thiers and entrepreneur Dan Ratner in October 2007, there were no gifts. Instead, their generous friends and family gave money to Open Books and other charitable causes close to the couple’s hearts. Today, with the more than $6,000 received from those contributions, Open Books installed a brand-new computer lab for adult literacy students at partner organization Blue Gargoyle in Hyde Park.

Located in a sunny former library just inside Blue Gargoyle’s front entrance, the lab includes 6 new Mac Minis along with monitors, a color laser printer, a scanner, headphones, and even new blue carpet. Students can use the machines to write documents, scan and edit artwork, use email and the Web, and practice reading skills.

“We’re delighted to provide Blue Gargoyle adult learners with this new facility, and thrilled that Genevieve and Dan gave us the chance to do so,” said Open Books Executive Director Stacy Ratner. “After working with a few of these exceptional students during the 2007 Blogathon, we know what great use they can make of these machines.”

“This is fabulous,” said Shane Desautels, Adult Learning Program Volunteer Coordinator at Blue Gargoyle. “The students really love it.” But it was adult learner Rakim Stroman who summed it up best: “You can do anything on these computers,” he said, looking around the room. “I’m going to be in here all the time.”

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Open Books was founded in 2006 to open Chicago’s first nonprofit literacy bookstore: a two-storied dream where proceeds from the sale of 50,000+ used books on the fun, colorful, comfortable first floor will go to fund a spectrum of unique adult, family, and computer literacy programs upstairs. As we wait for our new building to be ready in spring 2009, we work with literacy groups around the city to help students of all ages make reading a part of their lives. For more information, visit http://www.open-books.org.Blue Gargoyle’s mission is to assist children, adults and families in developing the skills and confidence necessary to become independent and self-reliant in today’s increasingly competitive society. The Blue Gargoyle provides comprehensive community-based services including education, counseling and employment programs. In carrying out its mission, the Blue Gargoyle works in partnership with various community organizations and agencies. In doing so, the Blue Gargoyle brings together and enriches the social and personal lives of individuals of diverse racial and economic backgrounds. For more information, visit http://www.bluegargoyle.org.

Reports are coming in from the Open Books Buddies at work in literacy programs around the city. Big thanks to our volunteers and partners for their hard work and for keeping in touch. Here are some of the comments we’ve been hearing:

Meredith, book group assistant for Open Books’ partner Literature For All Of Us: “I am currently a volunteer with [book group leader] Kira’s group at Irene Dugan [Alternative High School] and I LOVE IT. Wonderful program and I can’t say enough great things about Kira.”

Diana, writing group assistant for Open Books’ partner Neighborhood Writing Alliance: “The Neighborhood Writing Alliance is great. I enjoy the program. In fact, I am getting published in JOT [Journal of Ordinary Thought] twice this year!”

Rachel, reading buddy at Schiller Elementary: “I had a wonderful time at Schiller—it was great getting to read children’s books again! Thanks so much for the opportunity.”

Beverly Billy, director of Annie’s Legacy (which received books from us after fund-raising by Open Books volunteer Juan Perez): “Thank you for the books! They are just what is needed in support of Annie’s Legacy. I am eager to have the mentees select from such a rich variety of books. And I just love the layout and colors of Open Books. It is a lovely and whimsical place.”

Thanks, y’all! And don’t forget to check out the latest photo albums from Open Books. You might see yourself — and of course, a picture says 1,000 words!

Big thanks to everyone who is helping out at Schiller Elementary, the first school adopted by Open Books. These past three months there have been wonderful, and since it’s Valentine’s Day, I’ll share some love with you. Here’s a note from the principal of Schiller:

Dear Erin and Open Books,

Thank you for the wonderful experience our students had yesterday with the StoryBus. The students were excited and very interested in all aspects of the story and the prospect of listening to or reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears again. Thank you again for helping our students become excited about reading and for all that you do.

Sincerely,
Michele Lurz

The note — and the joy of sharing the StoryBus with K-3rd grade students — warmed our hearts. Thanks so much to Lou, Sarah, Clarence, and Emily from the Kohl McCormick StoryBus for making yesterday possible. That is one unforgettable bus!

In case you haven’t noticed, we more than doubled our staff last week. Whoa! We had a slew of internship applications but the five folks you’ve met impressed us with their creativity, passion, commitment to the community, leadership potential, communication skills, and so much more. Last but not least (for now!) is Nathan Kosky, who’ll be working on projects in our literacy and general operations departments. Please help us make him feel at home here.

Hello everyone, I am Nathan Kosky, an intern here at Open Books. I am simply thrilled to join the group, and I highly look forward to working with the fantastic team they have assembled!

I am currently a sophomore at Northwestern University, majoring in International Studies and Economics, and minoring in Business. I am originally from Green Bay, WI, and so yes, I am a diehard Packers fan. Some of my earliest childhood memories involve either sitting in front of a television set with my family watching football games, or assuming the names of popular Packer players as we tossed a ball around in the backyard. But despite being raised on Green and Gold, I have fallen for the Windy City, and I would love nothing more than to spend a good chunk of my life somewhere close by!

One deep passion of mine is social entrepreneurship. After taking a small discussion based class on the topic last year, a group of students and myself went on to launch the club Social Entrepreneurship at Northwestern University. Currently, I am attempting to open up a café near the Evanston campus that will offer a relaxed and homey atmosphere for Northwestern students to crack open the books late at night, while using the profits to fund social programming in the Evanston public school system. When I came across Open Books, and realized that they had a very similar vision as myself, just a different medium (books instead of coffee) I quickly jumped at the opportunity to become more involved! I simply cannot wait for Open Book’s bookstore to open, and for us to hit the ground running—However, until that happens, I will be working hard at recruiting more Northwestern students to volunteer in the many new literacy programs being added!

I am excited to help out as much as I can, and meet all the wonderful people who volunteer their time with Open Books!

Keep an eye out for Hayley, Matt, Max, Dustin, and Nathan, everyone! They’ve already made a great impact at Open Books and it’s just the beginning.

Hello friends of Open Books,

I am thrilled to introduce you to Dustin Walsh, the newest Open Books intern!
Dustin will be assisting me in all things Marketing related and spear-heading important PR, Events and Promotional projects. He was a great help at the Big Move and we are delighted to add him to our team.

For your reading pleasure! A blog entry introduction by Dustin,

Hello Open Books World. My name is Dustin and I am the new marketing Intern here at Open Books. I am really excited to join the team and to start my adventure as an intern with a great group of people. Just a little background, I am currently a senior at Columbia College graduating with a major in Marketing and a minor in Product Design. I guess what drew me into Marketing is the fact that I really love the concept of making connections as well as creating new ideas. I feel like Marketing is truly the creative backbone of any organization. But enough of that “Business Chatter.” I grew up in the Northern Suburbs of Chicago and I been connected to this city one way or another my entire life. I eventually moved downtown to go to school and truly fell in love with what this city has to offer.

I discovered Open Books through Idealist.org and fell in love with the concept of Open Books. I woke up one morning and made a decision that I had been contemplating for my entire college career. Do I go into the corporate world or do I pursue a career that embraces the ideology that I love and hold close which is helping others. I have been involved in some sort of volunteer work since I was a child and I really feel like it is the right path to take. I really wanted to work at Open Books the minute I looked up the organization. Social Enterprises are the future of the Non-Profit world and this organization is truly going to be successful. The mission of this organization really spoke to my core beliefs and values. I feel that literacy is an important part of our culture that is going unchecked in today’s multi- media driven society. I have had quite a few frustrating moments in classrooms growing up because so many people that I have met and come across have given up on reading completely. I also truly believe that reading is a catalyst for creativity and that because I read so much as a child it has opened up my mind to so many possibilities today. So I really look forward to sharing some of the great experiences I have had with reading with others and having the privilege of working with so many dedicated people.