I'm the founder and CEO here at Book Harvest in Durham, North Carolina. When I was a kid, I read all the time. Books were my best friend. When I became a mom, my kids also read all the time, and we had stacks of books all over the house, because that's what I knew. The power that I witnessed in my own three children of stories and imagination and big ideas, and creativity took off with these kids. And I began to wonder why it was that every single child in our country didn't have exactly that as a foundation for everything that comes in life.
So in about 2011, I began an experiment to see if we could take the book abundance that my own family had and bring it to other kids. And the resounding answer for the past 15 years has been, this is an opportunity that is completely doable for every single child in our country, that every child could grow up from birth with an abundant home library of books that they love, the books they read again and again.
When I hear from a kid or a parent that this is something that they value, I can't stop. I can't go back. I can't do anything but keep building this because every time we deliver that literacy foundation and that place to dream big to a child, over that first decade of life, we've made a difference. And it's what every kid deserves. I am haunted and motivated by one simple thing, which is that potential is universal and opportunity is not. I want to make sure every single child's potential can be met with the opportunity that they deserve, and that they're counting on from us. And I won't stop till it's done. And what a joy and a privilege it is to do this work.
So in about 2011, I began an experiment to see if we could take the book abundance that my own family had and bring it to other kids. And the resounding answer for the past 15 years has been, this is an opportunity that is completely doable for every single child in our country, that every child could grow up from birth with an abundant home library of books that they love, the books they read again and again.
When I hear from a kid or a parent that this is something that they value, I can't stop. I can't go back. I can't do anything but keep building this because every time we deliver that literacy foundation and that place to dream big to a child, over that first decade of life, we've made a difference. And it's what every kid deserves. I am haunted and motivated by one simple thing, which is that potential is universal and opportunity is not. I want to make sure every single child's potential can be met with the opportunity that they deserve, and that they're counting on from us. And I won't stop till it's done. And what a joy and a privilege it is to do this work.