The Community Baby Shower

      Promising Pages is a unique non-profit organization. This organization is regularly known for its consistency for working with other organizations such as businesses, schools, and churches. My fellow interns and I were able to participate at the Park Church Ministry on East Independence Boulevard in Charlotte, NC.  The Park Church was putting together a community baby shower for expecting mothers. From my own opinion, I never knew something like this was able to be conducted for many mothers who live in Charlotte. The Park Church made sure to educate and inform new mothers on what to expect and what precautionary steps to use when bringing a new child in to this world.  I was blown away by how much was put in to this community baby shower. Everything you could think of that you would need for a baby shower was there. I remember seeing an financial advisor to assist the mothers. I was more thrown back that we were able to be part of such a special event.

      Brennan who is one of the interns (picture to the right) had managed our showcase at one of the tables. You can see in the picture that she is playing Erma the Book Worma. This is our main mascot that helps us promote to children that it is awesome to read. Promising Pages generates that reading = smart, and smart= being successful. This is specifically used to show people who we are and what Promising Pages is about. We all helped to place wrapped baby books neatly on the table. Once the day came to an end we were able to give all of the baby books away.

      Sandrine and I managed the children’s room. We set up our table with unwrapped books for the older children to be able to choose their own books. Most of the older children around the ages of 10-12 were more excited about receiving a book then the younger children. After Sir Purr made his grand entrance the children were then able to settle down. And finally Erma the Book Worma was able to form a corner in the room and began to read to the children. She read the Duck for President. All the children were very attentive and listened to the story. Erma was so animated and enjoyed reading to the children and Sir Purr.

          By the end of the event we dwindle down and were able to give away 485 books at the Community Baby Shower. We only had 15 unwrapped books left. I feel that we did a great job as a group. We enjoyed ourselves and this experience was rewarding for all of us.



--Rasheeda Mickle

Uncharted Territory- Promising Pages Book Fair

                                             A Brave New World

Co-Founder Greg Goeke with a non-baby, baby book

"To give or to sell," that is the question. The idea of selling off some of our books is new territory for us. We know that other non-profit organizations do the same, but for us, it was kind of a tough "sell" to swallow. "I thought Promising Pages gave free books to kids?" said the voice in my head. It's true, we do give free books-- to kids. Then what to do with the nearly 10,000 books for adults that have been clogging our warehouse since this past summer? Do first graders like travel books and Wine for Dummies? I think not.

As much as I knew that this day would come eventually, it wasn't until we partnered up with Woody Hubbard and Tim O' Boyle and their Executive MBA team from Queens University that not only were my fears about selling off some of my books were alleviated, the concept was actually encouraged. "This is a business," they told me firmly. "Do you want your business to grow so you can help more kids, or do you want to keep putzin' along only helping a few kids because you are too afraid to bring in revenue? Revenue is a part of your job."

Sorting for Book Fair

So beginning December 1, I will no longer be the 'starving artist' type, the give-a-few-kids-a-few books type. 40,000 books have come through our warehouse at Carolina Business Interiors since January, but that's not enough. We have orders we can not fill. For example, currently we are out of first and second grade follow up books. Yet we know there are 60,000 kids in our area with few, if any books at home. It's time for me and the rest of the Promising Pages team to get serious, and that means raising money for our organization! Our goal is to collect and redistribute one million books so that all kids in Charlotte can have a bookshelf full of books at home and all children in Charlotte will grow up with a love and appreciation of books, which brings healthy brain activity and healthy self  esteem.

From a business standpoint, the concept makes perfect sense. We are already out there in the community collecting children's books every day. Why not collect all books and sell the ones we can't use for our programs?  Thank you again, Queens team. We have found people are happy to let go of their twice read, taking-up-too-much-space novels when they learn it is going to such a worthy cause.

The Sandbox Co-Founder Mara Campolungo

So folks, clean off your book shelves and donate what you no longer read. Bring those books to our book fair on December 1st and 2nd at the Carolina Business Interior warehouse on Yancey Rd. Bring the kids, we'll have story time with Erm and Erma the Bookworm(a)s. Check out our limited Edition "Magic Reading Totes"gems and turn ordinary books in to Magic Books. (A perfect gift for any young reader!) Browse the Sandbox Boutique and help us support yet another great Charlotte cause (www.gotsandbox.org.) Don't forget to bring in a canned food item or two for The Sandbox Holiday food drive. When you done with all this giving and shopping, refresh your palette with Amalie's French Bakery goodies generously donated to support our cause. Enjoy your new books and sweet treats in our Promising Cafe!

We look forward to meeting you in person. Thank you for supporting our One Million Books Revolution Campaign and for helping us change the world, one child and one book at a time. If you see me, give me a wink. It will be a personal reminder of your support, not only of our book mission, but of the marketing plan that will be driving it. Speaking of driving, take a "spin" and get your picture taken in our Magic Book Mobile, it's just a mock up now but one day soon it will be a reality. I just know it.

                                                     Go forth, buy books and prosper!

-Kristina Cruise
Founder, Promising Pages

A New Beginning

                I remember walking into what looked like a mansion, my eyes grew big and I turned to my parents and said “This is ours?”  On this day in 2002, my family was moving into our new habitat house.  It had been 6 years since we had left Africa to start a new life in America.  When we first came to the US we were refugees that had nothing more than the suitcases and boxes we’d packed.   My parents used to always tell us how they never thought that they’d be able to own a home again when we moved here, but Habitat changed all of that for us. 

              On October 26^th I experienced a Deja-Vu moment as I was able to experience the Rahlan-Ksor house dedication in Mathews, NC.  The Rahlan-Ksor family, a family with six children that fled Vietnam and was offered asylum in the US, was able to become a part of the Habitat family on this day.  On this day, Promising Pages was also able to become a part of the Habitat family.   This event officially instituted our new partnership with Habitat for Humanity Mathews.  For every house that this sector of Habitat builds, we will supply the home with a bookshelf full of handpicked books.

                We arrived an hour prior to the dedication and set up the bookshelf in the Rahlan-Ksor home.  We also surrounded the bookshelf full of 135 books with 18 personally wrapped books that we carefully chose for the 6 children.  We covered the bookshelf with a cloth and prepared for the reveal.  When the event began and it was time for the Promising Pages presentation we revealed the books and gladly looked on as the children excitedly opened their presents.  It was amazing seeing the girls giggle at their new books about Barbies, Princesses, Junie Bloom and other characters that we were all raised on.  But personally I loved seeing how happy the family’s 2 year old son was when he opened his gifts, the only time I saw the little guy sit down for more than a minute.

                The event was truly a humbling experience for me.  It reminded me of how far my family has come and how hard my parents worked to ensure that my brothers and I made it to college.  I wish the same for those 6 sweet children I met and cannot wait for the follow-ups when I get to go and replenish their bookshelf.   This moment will give this family hope, and with hope I know they will be able to accomplish anything.

Have a great and blessed week everyone!

Sandrine Uwera

"Where there is unity, there is strength"

The concept of your two worlds colliding might make most nervous, but for me it was a fantastic experience that brought a huge smile to my face.  On Friday, Oct 19th my worlds collided as UNC Charlotte's National Pan Hellenic Council came to volunteer at our Promising Pages warehouse.  The NPHC is composed of the 9 historically black Greek fraternities and sororities, and their mission is to work together and consider problems of mutual interest to its member organizations. As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. I have been able to see all the great work that they do on my campus as well as in the Charlotte community so I had no question that working with them would be nothing less than a success. The volunteer activity was a part of their NPHC week and launched our first event together through our new partnership. Frederick Kenley, the president of UNCC's NPHC said, "It was truly a humbling experience that took many of us back to our childhood for about 3 hours.  We definitely cannot wait to continue our partnership with Promising Pages by supporting their mission." 

The council supported us in a major way as they helped to organize the thousands of adult books that we had in the warehouse.  These are the same books that we will be selling at our Promising Pages book drive December 1st and 2nd.  The money that we raise at this drive will go towards operating costs, and eventually to our dream book mobile that we are hoping to add to our Promising Pages arsenal.

I've always believed that friends that work together can accomplish amazing things, and I look forward to seeing all the great things that my friends will do for Promising Pages.  This event was a way for those that I see every day on campus to get a glimpse at something that I have a passion for. We're all familiar with the saying that "it takes a village to raise a child," but I also believe that it takes a community to achieve change. Together we will push Promising Pages to new heights. 

Have a great and blessed weekend!

Sandrine Uwera

A Splendid Day at ChezElle

 What do high fashion and Promising Pages volunteers have in common? More than we thought! The many talents of Pages Founder Kristina Cruise continue to amaze me as she can now happily check high fashion print model off her list.

Kristina, myself and fellow intern Sandrine Uwera will be featured in the upcoming issue of N Focus magazine. Lucky for us the article included a fabulous photo spread and a chance to pose in some of Charlotte most trend setting fashions from ChezElle Boutique in Southpark. 

ChezElle is one of a kind here in Charlotte. If you look around, you realize how much detail is put into the store. I was taken aback by observing the unique labels, and exclusive designers. Everything in that store seem stylish and affordable. They have an array of clothing, and jewelry that are just to die for.

ChezElle owner Laryn Adams recognizes that most boutiques in Charlotte carry a lot of the same labels and strives to provide her customers with something new and different. Adams decided to change up the status quo and opened ChezElle in March of 2003. 

The store has caught the eyes of celebrities such as Homeland television series co star Claire Danes. Danes is well known for starring in Temple Grandin, Stardust, My so Called Life and Homeland.  Retail Associate Stacy told me, “Danes was a down to earth chick, she did not act like a high paid stuck up actress.”

Here you can find labels such as Elijah, James Coviello, Mara Hoffman, Lauren Moffat, Amanda Upchard, and Rory Beca and new, emerging designers like Tt & queue. Adams travels around the world to find these unique styles. 

N Focus Cover Shoot

Chez Elle is the place that Kristina Cruise, Sandrine Uwera, and I met to get ready for our glamorous photo shoot later in the day. I have to be honest I was very nervous and overwhelmed of what was to come. I came right in to the boutique and was rushed in to make up. Kymm from Mirror Mirror on the Wall and her associate worked her magic on my hair and face. I felt gorgeous.  I was able to wear a golden sequin corset with a long flowy taupe knitted skirt. Sandrine wore a beautiful blue-lace dress, while Kristina rocked a stunning turquoise dress with a faux fur vest and rocking books. I truly have to say that everyone looked beautiful! 

       Our photo shoot took place directly across from the boutique at Firebird. We really worked our way around the "set" posing in front of the fireplace and bar. Logan Cyrus was our talented photographer that gave us direction, and knew exactly what he wanted.

Cruise Poses for N Style Magazine

        The editor of N-Focus, Amanda Pagliarini heard of Promising Pages and wanted to promote our cause in her magazine. Check out the issue, it hits stands November 1st! We are thrilled and completely humbled to be a part of it. Thanks for all of the folks who came together to make this happen. Onward and Upward!

       I am grateful to be a part of something so great for Promising Pages. I enjoyed myself on that special day. And I knew that Promising Pages is exactly where I want to be. Every day I am inspired to do more!     

-Rasheeda Mickle

The Rama Road Project

“When I read books I imagine I’m in the story, it’s like I’m in another world” said 9 year old Tatiana as she smiled up at me while reading her new book that she received from Promising Pages.  On September 24^th I was blessed with the opportunity to go and visit Rama Road Elementary School to assist with the first “Bigs” meeting for Big Brothers, Big Sisters.  On this day, juniors and seniors from Country Day High School came to the elementary school to meet with their “Littles.”  This is a 10 year initiative between the high school and the Big Brother, Big Sister program where the high school students spend an hour a week at the elementary school with their mentees.  The mentors spend quality time with the elementary school students participating in activities such as talking, reading, or simply having lunch with their “Littles.”   

Rama Road is a Title 1 elementary school with 540 students.  Of those students, 87.8% of them are economically disadvantaged.   With so many students that are in need, teachers have to refer kids that they think need extra attention to the program and they are then placed with their “Bigs.”  Susan Augustine,   the Enrollment and Match Specialist, for the program at Rama Road beams when she talks about how effective the program is for the students.  As great as the program is, at the end of last school year she had a dilemma and our relationship with Susan would soon form.  When the school year was coming to a close Susan began planning the end of the year event for all the kids.  While planning she was able to get them great handmade bookmarks, but she realized that the kids had no books to place the bookmarks in.  It was then that Susan contacted Promising Page’s Executive Director, Kristina Cruise, to see if the organization would be able to help.  The partnership was a perfect alliance as both organizations mission is to help children in any way they can. 

When it came time for the end of the year, Promising Pages was able to donate close to 500 books to the elementary school students, as well as books for the programs own personal library.   The pairing was such a success that both parties decided to continue working together and decided to start a program throughout the school year.  For the 2012-2013 school year, Promising Pages will be hosting our Magic Book Parties for all 7 first grade classes at Rama Road.  The project will make it so that we may be able to donate at least another 5,000 books to Rama Road Elementary throughout the year.  These are books that will be going directly to kids like 9 year old Tatiana. 

Susan Augustine summed it up beautifully when asked how she thought Promising Pages was benefitting the students at Rama Road, “It gives the students here books to take home with them and many of them don’t have any books at home. It encourages the kids to continue to read, and for them to see that reading can be fun.”  Hearing statements like this make everything that we do here at Promising Pages worthwhile. One child and one book at a time, we will continue to make a difference.

Have a great and blessed week!

-Sandrine Uwera

Hoping You Know

              Sometimes I feel I spend a lot of time and energy trying to convince people why books are so important. "There are 60,000 kids growing up in our area without books, and if a child is not exposed to books by the time he or she enters kindergarten, the child is three to four times more likely to drop out of high school." Sometimes it's a tough sell, yet on and on I go, in an exuberant fashion. My dear friend and Co-Founder of "The Sandbox" Mara Campolungo and I often joke about this. All she has to say to get people to support her cause is "kids with cancer." People get it and immediately and flock to help. For me and my passion, it takes a good five minutes to really get someone to understand the magnitude and importance of what we do. But it is 5 minutes I will happily spend over and over again, with as many people who will listen.  Anyone who knows me knows I am passionate about books. But to be honest, it's not the books I really care about. It's the kids. I truly believe if we can get books to kids at an early age, their brains will develop steadfastly, and our community, country and world will be a better place. I know every single book donated or dollar raised gets us one step closer to a world full of problem-solvers instead of potential problems. 

Grandma and Little Kristi

             My grandmother was an avid reader. She loved the written word. Over the course of her life she wrote many beautiful short stories that will soon be published thanks to the hard work of my cousin, University of Indiana journalism student Katie Denta and her parents. My grandmother Elaine Louise Denta never went to college, but she could run circles around almost anyone when it came to knowledge and smart. In fact, I am sure she could find quite a few grammatical errors and misspelling on this here blog post. I can only imagine the red pen!

            I was never able to share the vision or successes of Promising Pages with Grandma Denta. Even though I conceived the idea for the non-profit in 2008 and officially launched it in 2011, she never got it. When I was on CNN this past July, she was too far gone to understand. 

            Of all the people who volunteer with us and so profoundly get what we are doing here, she was the one person who would have needed no convincing; not because I'm her granddaughter, but because she exemplified everything that Promising Pages represents. In fact, Promising Pages is so much more her than me. If you would have told me a couple of years ago that I would spend my every waking non-familial moment dedicated to early childhood literacy, I would have chuckled. Yet here I am working my tail off to get donations and raise funds because I know the power of what we are doing. Maybe she does too now. 

            In July I, my 4 month old son, and my sister traveled to Ohio to visit her at her total care facility. She had no idea who we were, but she knew we were special. I wanted her to meet her first great grandson Nathaniel William. It was my husband's idea to make the trip and I'm glad I listened and I'm glad my Aunt Eileen was willing to cart us around. Grandma was funny and very sweet that day. She wanted to hold Nate and we got some very special pictures, one of which was buried with her in her casket.  

Great Grandma and Baby Nate

            My grandmother died last Friday. My husband, son and I just returned home from her funeral services. She suffered from Alzheimer's for many years. It's a very unfair and cruel disease and to be honest, it actually more sad than anything. I feel sad, especially for my grandpa who is by himself now. We hope he comes for a nice long visit very soon. Their love was so pure and deep. Sometimes I felt as if I was watching a real live version of "The Notebook," still my favorite movie to date.  Now that she's gone it brings me comforts to know that she's no longer confused and tortured by her lack of understanding. All of those frustrations must have dispelled the moment she took her last breath. She is finally at peace.

Grandma and Grandpa Denta

              My grandmother and I had a rocky relationship over the years. In fact it's safe to say we were at odds far more than we were on the same page. But this makes up for all of it. I know in my heart just how she feels about what I am doing with my life and I couldn't be more proud to share her legacy. Promising Pages is truly and literally now her legacy. Thank you to my aunt and uncles for the memorial suggestion. I am proud to be a part of such a selfless gesture.  

            Grandma, we thank you for all of your many positive influences. Know that your love of literacy got through to me and I am working very hard so that all kids will have the needed exposure to hopefully love and respect it as much as you did. We love you and miss you very much. I'm sorry you never got to hear about Promising Pages but I hope you know now, and understand.

Love your first grandchild,

Kristi

-Kristina Cruise

Charlotte Creates Entrepreneurship

Everyone in and around Charlotte knows the DNC took front and center the week of September 3rd. Here at Promising Pages we are a  non-partisan non-profit and we LOVE to volunteer. Our leadership team decided our volunteer hours should be spent helping out in the many various aspects and undertakings of such a historic, and for Charlotte, unprecedented event.   

Last week I had the pleasure of volunteering with Charlotte Creates at Packard Place. Packard Place is one of the most unique organizations in the Charlotte area.  According to their website, "Packard Place is the hub for entrepreneurship and innovation in Charlotte.  Our mission is to develop fast-growth businesses and the professional community to drive them."  The businesses involved with Packard Place are divided into five specific areas including Technology, Design, Energy, Social Entrepreneurship, and Art. Several of the businesses associated with Packard Place were there to present who they were and what they do as a part of Packard Place.  

The first group I encountered was part of the Social Entrepreneurship hub of Packard Place.  The group was called Second Helping.  It is a coffee shop which employs women recently released from prison.  Melissa Mummert, Program Director for Second Helping said, “In an economy where finding employment is already challenging, women who come home from prison face an even more severe challenge as a result of discrimination against people who have criminal backgrounds.”  Second Helping is helping to change the lives of women in the Charlotte community just like Promising Pages is doing for the children we encounter. 

The next business who left a lasting impression was Eventys.  Eventys is part of the Design group at Packard Place.  It is a company that is a source for invention.  They have a website which allows people to propose an invention they think could be taken to market.  Eventys has scientists who partner with the inventor to get the invention to market.  Once to market Eventys shares the profits with the inventor 50/50.  The company has started the award-winning television show Everyday Edisons.  

One of the technology companies presenting at Packard Place was T1Visions.  T1Visions is a company trying to revolutionize the way we use touchscreen technology.  The product they were displaying was called Social Connect Touchscreens.  It is a video monitor which enabled four to eight individuals to gather around a desk with individual laptops and share documents to one common screen. The desk also has touchscreen capability to move documents or items from the web.  According to President Mike Feldman,  "Teams can connect, share, and learn using an intuitive, multitouch user interface.  Meetings become more efficient, information is highly accessible, and presentations are engaging."  T1Visions has a prototype being used on campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.  

The most memorable portion of Charlotte Creates was several Random Acts of Culture.  About once per hour there was a different group who would come in and perform some type of artistic expression.  One performance was a group of four ladies who did a dance which seemed to be a mixture of rhythmic gymnastics and yoga.  Another performance was a lady singing the popular Adele song "Someone Like You."  The song was interrupted with a few poems speaking about empowering women.  


Charlotte Creates at Packard Place was a very unique experience which showed off some of the best of what Charlotte has to offer. Although of business of brining books to children in Charlotte never stopped behind the scenes the week of the DNC, it was good to get out and mingle with other like-minded folks who also want to better our community and leave a long lasting mark.  I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of this and to meet so many intelligent people and their entrepreneurial spirit.  

- Mitchell Sharp

A Touch of Elevation

It was a beautiful Saturday morning like many that we have had in Charlotte as of late, but this Saturday wasn’t like others because our Promising Pages warehouse was buzzing with chatter and young teens were busy at work.  On August 25^th we had 100 teenagers from Elevation church come and volunteer at our warehouse.  It was the largest crowd that we have ever hosted, and all that we were able to accomplish exceeded all our expectations. 

         Elevation Church began just over six years ago with less than 20 people. In just a few short years, they have grown to over 10,000 in regular attendance.  The church has dedicated itself to giving back to the community in the form of “Elevation Outreach.”  We were lucky enough to be a part of the major initiative as we were one of the organizations that Elevation came to volunteer with.  In total, they had over 1,000 teens throughout the city volunteering!    

         When the teens arrived there was an instant burst of energy throughout the warehouse.  We had 4 stations set up and they all jumped at the opportunity to complete various tasks to help us out.  The supplies were all laid out for them and once they were given directions the magic began to happen. 

         In our carpet station artistic volunteers were able to decorate carpet squares that will be placed in classrooms after we host our signature "Magic Book Parties."  These “Magic Carpets” will be used as reading corners for children.  It will be an incentive so whenever a student is having a good day they get the opportunity to go and read on the carpet that is decorated with our mascot, "Erm the Book Worm."  By using it as a reward system it will allow the kids be reminded of their encounter with our program and the underlying lesson which is that reading is fun and exciting, and that in doing so they can be anything they want to be when they grow up. 

       Our bookmark station was a major hit and our volunteer’s creativity was truly exhibited. Instead of throwing away books that are in such poor condition that we are unable to give them away, we recycle their pages.  These pages are then used to make specialized collage bookmarks for the kids.  The Elevation teens really enjoyed this activity and their faces lit up once they were able to see their finished laminated product.  The bookmarks also included positive messages such as “Reading Rocks” and “Reading is Cool” that the kids always love to see.

        One of our most innovative stations was the wrapping paper section.  We used large white butcher paper and the teens were able to decorate it.  After they were decorated with beautiful images, inspiring quotes, and other various colorful doodles we rolled it up and will later use it to wrap books for the kids.  In the past, kids have loved the personal wrapping paper so much that they carefully opened their books and kept the paper!

       Our final station allowed the teens to clean and wrap the books.  The teens quickly caught on to our specialized technique.  They quickly grasped how precious all our resources are to us, and they made sure to use all the supplies sparingly while still producing quality work.  These are the same books that will bring smiles to so many children in our community.  The entire event was an inspiration to myself and the rest of the Promising Pages staff.  These teens were not only selfless enough to take the time out of their day to come and help us, but they put thought in everything they were doing.

 

Seeing all the work that happens behind the scenes to present quality books to kids, who are our most innocent members of society, reaffirmed my thoughts on this organization.  This was my first major event with Promising Pages and I left that day with a huge smile on my face.  I know that I am now a part of something that is so much greater then myself and the rest of us here at Promising Pages.  I am a part of a movement that is working to be the change that it wishes to see in this world.

Have a great and blessed week!

-Sandrine Uwera