August 2019
Dear Houston Community,

In the words of our beloved Barbara Bush, “Some people give time, some money, some their skill and connections, some literally give their life’s blood. But everyone has something to give.” One of our key priorities has been to provide meaningful ways for members of the community to give in service to others.

Hundreds of volunteers committed nearly 4,000 hours of service during Camp Adventure!, a two-week summer learning program hosted in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Houston and the Houston Independent School District that reached more than 600 children. Nearly a dozen companies, including title sponsor Phillips 66, invested financial resources to provide camp at no cost to families and donated items that stocked a pop-up store from which children spent the reward “bucks” they earned. And, several nonprofit organizations partnered with us to lend their talents to enrich, inspire and educate children through hands-on-learning activities. Truly, so many gave so much, and we are deeply grateful.

A new school year is upon us, and we are eager to continuing to activate and engage volunteers through our specialized reading mentorship programs, My Home Library program, Ladies for Literacy Guild and Young Professionals Group. Visit our website to learn how you can join us in the literacy movement.

Yours in Service,
Julie Baker Finck, Ph.D.
President
Calendar of Events
August 17, 2019
October 25, 2019
November 8, 2019
November 15-16 & December 6-7, 2019
April 30, 2020
Celebration of Reading 2020
LADIES FOR LITERACY GUILD
Ladies for Literacy Inspire Readers at New Hope
Children living in New Hope Housing Reed received a special treat last month thanks to members of our Ladies for Literacy Guild . More than 80 children participated in a free book fair, created book marks and engaged in story time to give them a summer boost and build their very own home libraries. Guild members served as personal shoppers, helping kids select six brand new books as part of our My Home Library program. The Ladies for Literacy sponsored the home libraries through proceeds the auxiliary raised from last year’s the Power of Literacy Luncheon. Story time took place in the Barbara Bush Children’s Library, which was designed, outfitted with books, and dedicated earlier this year thanks to the generosity of the Guild.

New Hope Housing Reed is a community built last year to provide life-stabilizing, affordable, permanent housing with support services for families who live on very limited incomes.

“We are deeply grateful to the Ladies for Literacy Guild for spending time with the children and families who call New Hope Housing home,” said Sarah Mangrem, New Hope Houston Program Director. “The love, attention and books will provide a launching pad for their future success.”
Thank you to the 2019 Power of Literacy Luncheon Title Sponsor, Phillips 66.
FOUNDATION WITHIN THE COMMUNITY
Reliant and Houston Rockets team up to power Houston Literacy
For the second year in a row, Reliant and the Houston Rockets launched a Double-Double Donation campaign to raise awareness and funds to support literacy programs of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. For every game in which Houston Rockets’ Center Clint Capela earned double-digit points and rebounds, Reliant donated $200 to the Foundation. Despite an injured Clint Capela late in the season causing him to miss four weeks, we are thrilled that his spectacular season resulted in a total donation of $10,200 from Reliant to power forward literacy in our city.

Be sure to watch this special Power It Forward video   featuring Clint Capela and Julie Baker Finck in the Curiosity Cruiser.

Thank you, Reliant, Houston Rockets and Clint Capela for teaming up with us to make a difference in Houston.
OMG Books!
We are pleased to announce that the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, along with 12 of our literacy partners, has been selected from among over 100 applications to receive an award of $100,000 for new books and eBooks that will expand our mission of improving lives through the power of literacy. First Book, the nonprofit social enterprise focused on equal access to quality education for children in need, awarded the funds as part of its OMG Books Awards: Offering More Great Books to Spark Innovation, a program that will give more than $4.7 million in funding to distribute 1.5 million brand new books and eBooks to children living in low-income communities in 33 U.S. states and territories.

The Foundation united 12 Houston-area nonprofit organizations to apply for the OMG Books Awards program. Collectively, we aim to purchase and distribute an estimated 30,000 brand new books to underserved children across Houston through high-quality family literacy and reading intervention programs.

We wish to thank First Book for their commitment to empowering children and sparking a love of reading through book ownership. Together, we will become a city filled with readers!

CAMP ADVENTURE!
More than 600 Children Attend Camp Adventure!
We are proud to announce the conclusion of another successful year of Camp Adventure! The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation once again partnered with the Children’s Museum of Houston and HISD to provide a summer learning camp for under-served children in Houston's Third Ward, Fifth Ward, and Sunnyside communities. With the help of 620 dedicated volunteers from numerous corporate and community groups, over 600 Houston students avoided the dreaded “summer slide”. We extend our sincere thanks to all those who devoted a combined total of nearly 4,000 hours of service with an estimated value of $101,720.

The free, two-week learning camp experience was sponsored by Phillips 66, PwC, Marathon Oil, EOG Resources, KPMG, JP Morgan, the Astros Foundation, and the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation YPG. Kids enjoyed dance and performance classes from Theatre Under the Stars, music classes from the Houston Symphony, cooking classes by the Houston Food Bank, recreation and play by the Astros Foundation, and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) interactive activities by the Children’s Museum of Houston. By the end of camp, kids had amassed a home library of approximately 15 new books, and a bag full of fun games and school supplies thanks to the Target pop-up store.