August Community Corner
BIG BOOK SALE?
BIG BOOK NEWS!
After months of deliberation and careful monitoring, we have decided to move forward with our Big Book Sale in May of 2021!

The loss of the 2020 sale proceeds means things will look very different for us, but we are working on re-imagining how we can all come together to celebrate our love of reading next spring!

If you just can't wait until next year, and are looking for a way to support us today, we are pleased to announce the launch of Book Bucks!

Unfortunately, the need to get books into the hands of children is not going away, and in fact, with the move to digital schooling and now summer break, COVID Crunch and Summer Slide have put so many students at even higher risk for learning loss, isolation, and distance from opportunity. 

Book Bucks – essentially gift cards redeemable at the next Big Book Sale – allow Calgarians to support us in our mission to “keep the books flowing” during the pandemic, getting them into the hands of the young readers who need them now more than ever.  

Keeping the Books Flowing
The months since the pandemic reached Calgary have seen us rapidly changing the way we get books into the hands of children. Our Books+ Pipeline has allowed us to partner with over 30 different schools and community partners to distribute 10,374 books to 1000 families since mid-March. On top of books, those book bags also included activities for safe physical-distancing, information packages, and craft supplies.
We've also seen our partnership model with the Calgary Food Bank go NATIONAL as part of the #ReadOnCanada initiative. As Steering Committee Members and Content Partners, we're working with literacy and equity organizations all over Canada to distribute another 130,000 books to children in our country this summer!

pee wee and wee read
If you're wondering what else is keeping us busy right now, we are working on digitizing our incredibly popular wee read and pee wee read literacy modules so they can be accessed as free MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). We're partnering with emerging designers and recent graduates in an effort to provide new workforce opportunities for young Calgarians! We can't wait for the material to be available for you to check out this fall! It's thanks to our longstanding partnerships with the RBC Foundation, Enbridge, and the Rotary Club of Calgary Downtown that this digitization project is possible!
As Calgary Reads continues to navigate the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, many community members have asked what they can do to support those impacted by changes and closures. Through a newly launched effort, the Books+ Pipeline, books and summer learning activities will be distributed to those families who are experiencing particular difficulty and distance. Your donation will help keep the books flowing all summer long.