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Charity Drive

$32,840 raised of $50,000 · 28 days to go

A library for the Lower School.

Help us build a 4,000-book lending library at Frederick Douglass Elementary. Every $25 keeps one kid reading for a year.

Donate now
Read the story

The deadline is real

The drive closes in

Shelves are ordered against the June 30 date and the librarian starts in September. Anything short on the closing day comes out of the third year of staffing.

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Donate now
01Where the money goesFull budget published monthly
$28K
Books + shelving
$15K
Part-time librarian, 3 years
$5K
Soft chairs + signage
$2K
Opening event + fundraising costs
02Ways to giveAll gifts tax-deductible

Four ways to help

01

Give once

A one-time gift of any size. $25 stocks one kid's reading year; $250 fills a shelf; $1,000 names a reading nook.

  • Suggested $25 / $100 / $250 / $1,000
  • Anonymous giving welcome
02

Give monthly

Small and steady funds the librarian's salary — the part of the budget grant-makers never cover.

  • From $10/month
  • Cancel any time
03

Employer matching

Many employers double gifts to 501(c)(3) organisations. Two minutes with your HR portal doubles your shelf.

  • We're registered on the major platforms
04

Books + hands

New or like-new children's books from the wishlist, and volunteer muscle for shelving weekend in July.

  • Wishlist link in the confirmation email
  • Shelving weekend: July 12–13
Stack of children's books ready for the shelves

Six years without a library.

Frederick Douglass Elementary serves 320 kids in a neighbourhood where most families don't have shelves of books at home — and the school hasn't had a working library since 2020. Together with the PTA, we're changing that by June 30: real shelves, soft chairs, 4,000 books, and a part-time librarian funded for the first three years.

  • $50,000 funds the whole project — books, shelves, librarian
  • 501(c)(3) — every gift tax-deductible
  • Monthly progress updates · final report in December
03Accountable to the dollar

How the drive works

  1. You give

    Online in two minutes, or by check to the school office. Receipt and the book wishlist arrive by email the same day.

  2. We build

    Shelving goes up in July, books arrive in August, and the budget ledger is published with every monthly update.

  3. Doors open

    Opening day is the first week of September — donors get first invitations, and 320 kids get a library.

Why it matters

From the school gate

5 out of 5 stars
“My daughter loves to read and we simply can't afford the books she devours. A library at school changes her whole year — and hundreds of kids' years after her.”
M
Marta P.
Parent, Grade 3
04The straight answers

Donor questions

Is my donation tax-deductible?+

Yes — we're a registered 501(c)(3), and a receipt suitable for your tax return arrives by email the same day.

What happens if you pass $50,000?+

The next dollars extend the librarian's funding to a fourth year, then start the classroom mini-library fund. We publish exactly where overage goes.

Can I donate books instead of money?+

Yes — new or like-new children's books from the wishlist, which is curated by the school's teachers so the shelves fit the readers.

How do I know the money arrives?+

A monthly update with the running ledger goes to every donor, and the full accounting is published in the December final report.

Can my company help?+

Employer matching doubles gifts, and we welcome corporate sponsorship of a shelf or the opening event. Email us and we'll send the one-pager.

Kids mid-game, all grins

$17,160 to go. 28 days.

The shelves are ordered, the librarian is interviewing, and the opening is set for September. Help us close the gap.

Donate nowWays to give
Tax-deductible · monthly updates · final report in December

Donate · ask · volunteer

Give through the form, or by check to the school office — the mailing address is in your confirmation email. Questions and volunteer hands equally welcome.