Hello, world!

With a salutation like that, I make myself sound like the new kid on the block.

The reality is that I’m not new to Athens, or to nonprofits in this area, or even to blogging for Patch.

However, this is my first time blogging for a Patch website as executive director of Books for Keeps – and I couldn’t be more thrilled!

We have a lot going on at our busy little organization. And, really, our organization isn’t that little anymore. In the 2012-2013 school year, Books for Keeps distributed more than 40,000 books to students all over Athens, from kindergarten through high school.

Our primary program, Stop Summer Slide!, gave out 12 books each to every child in five elementary schools in Athens this year. During May distributions, those five schools were aflutter with activity as we gave out a total of 24,000 books in just two weeks.

This organization formed through the vision of Melaney Smith, founder and current board member. She was astounded to learn there are children who simply don’t have books at home for complex reasons often relating to household income, transportation issues, and others.

The organization grew when Melaney learned that lack of access to books often puts these children at a distinct disadvantage, especially when summer ends and they rejoin their classmates – only to find they lost educational ground during the summer. That’s summer slide, and it only compounds over time. By the end of elementary school, a child may be up two or three grade levels behind his or her classmates as a result.

This whole thing started just four years ago. Books for Keeps has been a registered nonprofit since 2011.

And this is only the beginning.

In June, I was hired as the first-ever full-time executive director of Books for Keeps. That also means I’m the first and only staff member. Our task is large, but I have a board of directors behind me who have never been afraid of hard work, and who have shepherded this organization from infancy into a very healthy, very active childhood.

We are embarking on a journey together as we raise this organization into adolescence. Books for Keeps is poised to grow and reach more children. We hope you’ll join us on that journey – as a volunteer, as a donor (of books or funds), as a champion of our cause.

The need in Athens is great – I’ll write more about it in future posts. In the meantime, I invite you to visit our website or Facebook page and learn more about us, or to email me to discuss how we can work together to end summer slide in Athens – and maybe one day, beyond.

You can reach me at leslie.hale@booksforkeeps.org or (706) 410-8689.