Milk and Bookies

Milk + Bookies is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization based in the United States. The organization's stated mission is two-fold: 1) providing opportunities for children to experience giving back to their community and 2) literacy promotion in underserved areas of the population. While book donations are an integral element of the Milk + Bookies' mission, another cornerstone of their program is Service Learning: instilling the seed of giving into each child participant, sparking feelings of importance, self-confidence and the desire to give and give again.

History

Milk + Bookies was founded in 2004 by Meredith Alexander, a Los Angeles, California-based mother of two. In 2009, Heidi Lindelof and Laura Zimmerman, also Los Angeles-based moms, joined Meredith on the Milk + Bookies Board of Directors. That same year, Milk + Bookies was designated a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation.^[1]

Programs

Milk + Bookies' programs include:

M+B Class Project

Through Milk + Bookies, teens and college students host events in their local school or hometown bookstore and are eligible to earn community service hours. The M+B Class Project requires the hosts to invite families with young children to spend the day celebrating books and experience giving. Children ages 3 and up are asked to choose, purchase and inscribe a book to be donated to a local child of a similar age who has little or no access to books. The events often include music, story-inspired arts & crafts and milk & cookies. Milk + Bookies provides students with a checklist [2] on the necessary steps for hosting a Milk + Bookies Class Project event. The student hosts are then charged with finding a recipient group for delivery of the book donations. In the past, Milk + Bookies has recommended the following organizations as recipients of donations: Operation School Bell [3], Head Start or Boys and Girls Clubs of America [4].^[2]

M+B Birthday Party

The Milk + Bookies Birthday Party was conceived as a way to provide parents with an alternative for hosting a birthday party for their child, with the emphasis veering away from excessive gifts. Guests are asked to bring a new hardcover picture book in lieu of a gift for the birthday child. Milk + Bookies provides hosts with a “Bookies Box” [5] which contains the necessary materials for hosting: bookplates, “I Donated” stickers, bookmarks and Milk + Bookies literature to facilitate parent discussions with young children regarding the importance of helping others. The guests are given the option of inscribing bookplates to adhere to their donation and subsequently receiving an "I Donated" sticker to wear. The birthday child and family chose a recipient group.

Scholastic Book Fair

Milk + Bookies has partnered with Scholastic for parents or organizations who would like to host a Scholastic Book Fair at their school or community center. Guests attending the Book Fair event can purchase Scholastic books, which are then donated to the school's designated recipient.

Recent Activities

Story Time Celebration - Milk + Bookies hosted their first annual fundraiser at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California on February 28, 2010.^[3] The fundraiser included story-inspired arts & crafts, a beanbag lounge to enjoy story time, strolling literary characters, a Willy Wonka Chocolate Fountain, lunch and milk & cookies.^[4][5] Young guests chose and inscribed books to donate.^[6] A total of 3,000 books were donated via Operation School Bell to kids who previously had never owned a storybook.^[7][8]

Notable People Involved

Milk + Bookies receives a great deal of assistance and involvement from celebrities as well as organizations and individuals based both locally in Los Angeles and nationwide.^[9]

Celebrities: Jennifer Garner, Rainn Wilson, Jason Biggs, Peter Facinelli, Hayden Panettiere, Jack Coleman, Masi Oka, Dave Grohl, Jenny Garth, Marlon Wayans, Jonah Hill

Partner Organizations: Skirball Cultural Center http://www.skirball.org/, Scholastic http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/experience/, Barnes & Noble http://www.bn.com

Sponsors: John W. Carson Foundation, Creative Artists Agency, Disney/ABC Television Group, DreamWorks Studios, Ziffren Brittenham LLP, NSBN LLP, Powell Electric, United Talent Agency, The Mother Company, The Gap

References

1. ^ Jensen, Doc. "'Lost' - in the 80's?", entertainmentweekly.com, Los Angeles, February 23, 2010. Retrieved on 2010-8-25.
2. ^ Daily Candy. "One For the Books - Milk and Bookies Class Project Launches". dailycandy.com, Los Angeles, February 22, 2010. Retrieved on 2010-8-25.
3. ^ Weselman, Jarrett. "I Want Jennifer Garner to Read to Me", The New York Post, New York, March 1, 2010. Retrieved on 2010-8-25.
4. ^ Dos Santos, Kristin. "Is Dwight Shrute Gettin' Some lovin'? Get Office, Lost and Twilight scoop For a Good Cause!", E Online, Los Angeles, March 1, 2010. Retrieved on 2010-8-25.
5. ^ Popsugar. "Jennifer Garner Spends Her Sunday With Milk and Bookies", popsugar.com, Los Angeles, March 1, 2010. Retrieved on 2010-8-25.
6. ^ Liebowitz, Ed. "Buzz: Family Friend", Los Angeles Magazine, Los Angeles, April 10, 2010. Retrieved on 2010-8-25.
7. ^ MSN. "Milk and Bookies First Annual Story Time Celebration - Inside - Movies", Los Angeles. Retrieved 2010-8-25.
8. ^ Mooney, Erin. "Greg Grunberg, Dave Grohl Attend Milk and Bookies", Look to the Stars, Los Angeles, February 28, 2010. Retrieved on 2010-8-25.
9. ^ Life. [1], Life Magazine Online, Los Angeles. Retrieved 2010-8-25.

External links

Official Website: http://www.milkandbookies.org

Affiliated Blog: http://www.acmesharing.com/

Social Media

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Milk-and-Bookies/428279050514?ref=search

Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/milkandbookies

Flickr Page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/53182588@N04/