by Michele Lynn, Board Chair, 2013 – 2017
As the month of May drew to a close, so too did my six years of service on Book Harvest’s board of directors. Seven years ago, Ginger Young shared with me her plan to start a nonprofit organization with a simple idea: to provide books, and lots of them, to children, from birth through school-age.
I have often said that if Ginger told me her idea was to leap off a building, I would probably accompany her because she is one of the most brilliant, creative, innovative, and hardworking people I know and her ideas are typically great. Fortunately, her idea was to create Book Harvest, and this leap into the unknown has brought joy into so many hearts and homes, including mine.
By joining Ginger on this grand adventure, I have been part of an incredibly dedicated team of board of director colleagues, community volunteers, and, especially, families and children who remind me daily how vitally important the work of Book Harvest is.
Every day, Book Harvest’s simple idea transforms outcomes in our community. Books are a tool for change, for empowerment, and for equity.
During my tenure on the board, I have experienced the joy of seeing a child’s face light up during Book Harvest’s Books on Break events as he finds books he can’t wait to take home and read over the summer. I have seen the bond shared by parents and babies reading together through our Book Babies program. And I have seen the scores of volunteers who collect books, sort them, and then deliver them each week to Community Book Bank sites, so that children can find the books that excite them.
It’s been my pleasure to walk into the office on Thursday mornings—the day when our board and the committees I served on met—and talk with the same crew of dedicated volunteers who have given their time each week for years. And it’s been a privilege and an honor to work alongside my smart, devoted and caring board colleagues in our effort to support the life-changing work of Book Harvest’s brilliant and dedicated staff.
I hope each of you reading this post will join me in continuing to imagine great things for our children and then turn those dreams into action. Get involved, stay involved, and add your valuable contributions to our shared endeavors.
I look forward to continuing to work alongside each of you. While my time on the board has ended, my commitment to the life-changing work of Book Harvest will never wane.