Why Wrap?

            I’m a fan of gift bags. Especially when you live a frantic life, it’s so easy to just slip a gift for someone in a cheerful bag, stuff some tissue paper in the top (maybe even add a sprig of ribbon if you’re feeling saucy) and—voila!—instant present. Books are different, though. If you’ve ever wrapped a book before, I find the experience very satisfying.

            Here at Promising Pages, we do a lot of wrapping. In fact, wrapping the books we distribute to kids in our area is one of the things that makes our organization so unique. Imagine that rush of joy you feel when a friend hands you a present. Now imagine you’re seven, and that friend is wearing a bright yellow bookworm costume. Needless to say, wrapping books is very important to our organization. And as you may know, we largely rely on the helping hands of volunteers to do this very important job.

One of the things I dislike about wrapping (other than wrestling with the roll of paper) is how very time consuming it can become. It takes time to wrap well! Promising Pages has found an ingenious solution: the Wrapping Party. At every wrapping party I have ever attended, people are astounded by the number of books that can be wrapped by a group, instead of just one. In addition, wrapping books in a group creates a great place to catch up, or even get to know someone better. When the conversation is great, the fact that you’re doing a monotonous activity is trivial.

Speaking of which, is wrapping so trivial after all? Remember how you felt getting a wrapped gift as a child? Do you recall that buildup of suspense as you tried to guess the contents of the package? Opening that present was a gratifying experience, especially if it was something you wanted! Wrapping the books we distribute serves a purpose: we are creating positive thoughts and feelings associated with books. Surely that is worth an hour or two of wrapping with friends, and there is certainly no shortage of books that need attention! If you’re interested in hosting a wrapping party of your own (or just being a part of one), the volunteer page on our website is always open.  

#readysetread
-Carly Foster

Following up with Rama Road

As you may have noticed this week, people in education (or people who work with kids in general), have started getting excited about Dr. Seuss, whose birthday is on March 2^nd. On this day every year, you can find his works being read and activities done in his honor all over the country. What is Promising Pages doing for such an event?

Promising Pages’ claim-to-fame are the Magic Book Parties we host in the Charlotte area. The party excites students about reading and leaves them with a magic book of their very own. This year, Promising Pages is hosting its first Dr. Seuss Magic Book Party at Rama Road Elementary. We have a shipment of brand new books (“The Cat in the Hat” and “One fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish”) from First Book to distribute to the students at Rama Road. First Book is a national non-profit organization that works through smaller organizations (like us) to provide access to books to children who may have a hard time getting them.

We are very excited to be partnering with Rama Road for this event!  Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss, on what would have been your 109th birthday, so, so close to Earth Day!

#readysetread

Meet the Interns 2013!

Promising Pages is a volunteer-run non-profit organization.  Lots of people work hard to make Promising Pages a success and without them, there wouldn't be a Promising Pages. Our interns are part of this dynamic group.  Meet our 2013 spring interns:

Name: Carley Foster

Education: Senior at University of North Carolina, Charlotte, working on her  BA in Psychology with a double minor in Women's Studies and Child Development. This summer Carley will be studying Psychology abroad in London, and plans to graduate in spring 2014. She plans is to pursue a doctorate in Community Psychology and work in the non-profit sector, either working with one or beginning one of her own.

Hobbies: Carley loves to read Janet Fitch, Jeffrey Eugenides, and Roald Dahl, who are some of her favorite authors. Shealso loves to  hike, the outdoors, and nature photography. When there's time she also likes to do art projects and exercise.

What Carley had to say about Promising Pages:

"I have been working with Promising Pages since December 2012, and so far I have had some incredible experiences. The work I do requires me to be organized, flexible, and most of all an ambassador for the organization. I have learned how to network and have overcome my anxiety of driving to unfamiliar places. I get to witness firsthand how a non-profit organization functions from the inside out, and I am so grateful for all of these experiences."

"Out of all the things I do at Promising Pages, I think some of my favorites would have to be networking with others and handing out books at Crisis Assistance. See, I really love to talk, and networking allows me to promote our organization so people can get involved. At the end of the day it's great to be able to see all that hard work we do pay off when kids get so excited to receive our presents. It really is something you have to see for yourself to understand. When I first started working with PP, I understood kids were getting books as wrapped gifts, which is great, but to be able to watch their faces light up and see how happy they become when someone gives them something as simple as a book added a whole new dimension to my knowledge of why we do what we do."

Name: Brandon Harris

Education: Senior at Queens University of Charlotte, majoring in media communications and english literature and also a brother of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. Brandon wants to get into marketing or human resources after graduation.

Hobbies: playing basketball and barbequing with friends.

What Brandon had to say about Promising Pages:
"Promising Pages is an incredible organization because it inspires children to read. Reading is the single most important skill to have in this world, so this organization is working to truly make the world a better place." So true, Brandon. So very true.

Name: Vanessa Agbozo

Education: Junior at UNC Charlotte, working on her BS in Business Administration, majoring in Finance and Marketing. Plans to pursue her MBA. Vanessa moved to the United States from Ghana, West Africa in March 2008 to further her Education.

Hobbies: Swimming, creating projects, reading-- especially science fiction, being around family and being involved at church

What Vanessa had to say about Promising Pages:
"I have been with Promising Pages since January 2013, and for this short period I have gained so much. As a person from a third world country, I understand what some of these children without advantages such as books available to them feel without them. To be able to see the joy on their faces as they receive their books and to know that, such a gift plays a role in the bright future that lies ahead of them is just enough satisfaction."

Name: Brennan Shearer

Education: Student at queens University o Charlotte with a major in Elementary Education and a minor in Italian.
Hobbies: Brennan loves to read, work with children, being a Young Life Leader at Myers Park High School, taking weekend trips to the beach or mountains with friends, watching movies, traveling, and simply being with friends and family.

what Brennan had to say about Promising Pages:

"I have definately gained a heart for empowering underprivileged children, not just providing for them. Through woking with Promising Pages, I have been able to realize the value of reading and of books. over the course of my time with Promising Pages I have been able to realize my strength and weaknesses more fully while improving upon them and receiving encourageent to provide creativity and new ideas to the organiation as continues to grow! What i love the most is being able to be a part of the joy that children have when they receive new books. It is worth all of the work to see kids in schools or at Crisis Assistance Ministry brighten up when they receive a vsit from Erma the Book Worma an have a new, wrapped book placed in their hands. I have also loved he opportunity to network and partner with so many other fantastic non-profits in Charlotte and I feel blessed to be a part of an organization that has witnesed so much growth over the year and continues to reach out ino Charlotte more everyday!"

Please give a shout out to our interns on our Facebook Page.



-Vanessa Agbozo
#welovebooks