Did you grow up with books in your hands? Have a favorite author or a story that you read so much you had it memorized? I was that kid and I have raised two of those kids. But that is not the reality for 90,000 kids right here in our community. For most of these kids the first book they own comes from KidSmart. They read what is available to them through their school library or the books their teacher provides. Research tells us that proficiency in SO MANY other areas of learning stems from being a skilled reader, but we should be striving to build a generation of kids that LOVE to read.

So, through incredible in-kind partnerships KidSmart is able to provide THOUSANDS of books each year at a fraction of the actual cost. And when I say a fraction, I truly mean a TINY percentage. For a hard cost of just $3,200 KidSmart is able to secure 80,000 BOOKS....a value of almost $1MM! Now that's not even one book for every kid that we serve, but it gets us REALLY CLOSE. And this back to school season that is my goal.

To my incredible community - will you help me buy 80,000 books?

Every child deserves to find their favorite author. To have a classroom filled with different topics, authors and styles of writing. Let's make that possible for the kids right here in St. Louis.

Please JOIN ME in supporting this incredible organization.

Of course KidSmart provides all kinds of other resources besides just books and I can absolutely share more of our incredible story, impact and ways to get involved with anyone that is interested!