Tuesday, January 7, 2020

2019 NICU Book Project Donations

2019 NICU Book Project Donations

I started collecting books in 2014 for the NICU where my daughter works to honor the lives of my own twins and also of two grandchildren who did not survive pregnancy. As a reading teacher, I saw that children who were read to, had better attention spans and did better in school. It took me a year to gather 150 books sorted into packets of 5 books each. I delivered them in September of 2015. I had only planned on making this one donation, but the books were so appreciated by the parents, that I kept on gathering books.

Other people started donating books so we could try to send every NICU baby home with a packet of books. Parents read these books to their babies during their often lengthy stays, helping their baby's brains and creating bonding moments full of love. 

Each packet has a half sheet handout explaining why it is important to read to your baby. I put at least one board book in each packet, and we also create packets for families whose first language is Spanish.

Earlier in 2019, another hospital was opened in Layton, and we have added their NICU to our project. Angie (my NICU nurse daughter) oversees the distribution of book packets to the families.

Our total of books collected for 2019 was 1,739. We were the recipients of a few book drives this year and many generous donors. My mom donated some of the bags and McKay Dee donated nearly two thousand bags, so we will have bags to make our packets for a while.

All together, our donors contributed 1,065 books. Here is a list of our donors this year:

Kimberly Bailey and Friends - Usborne Book Drive
Corbin Canfield - Eagle Scout Project
Carrie Orr
88 books from several anonymous donors
Angela Jensen
Ana Lisa Tolman's daughter - book drive
Liam Heintz's Family and Friends
Brandon Hart
Michelle Aiken and Family
Angie Moore
Tanya Isabel and Hollie
Michelle Schwendiman
The United Way - book drive
Karyn Vigil
NICU Reunion - book drive
Anne Corts, Camille Warnick, and Mrs. Wintle's 3rd grade class
Deb Molloy
Teresa Moore
Rolean Peterson
Jen Staley
Crystal Loveland
Sue Walton
Megan Jones
Alysen Jeffries
Jamie Nilson
Sarah Bagley
Mia Myles
Maggie from Savers
Dani Phipps
Britney Shaw
Cayli Johnson
Renee Bond
Caitie Jolley
Tayla Nash
Christy Tucker
Anne Corts
Tom Murdock

I want to thank each and every person who donated to our project and to those who donated to the multiple book drives. I couldn't reach so many on my own. Your support is greatly appreciated.  It makes me happy that my little project to honor my babies has become our project and is growing and thriving. Together we are spreading literacy to the very smallest among us.

If you'd like to contribute to our NICU book project, you can bring new or gently used books to me or to Angie. You can also CLICK HERE to purchase books from our Amazon wish list. These books come to me and I put them in packets. If you have a baby whose life you'd like to honor, I am happy to make book plates for the books donated in their name. I am a mom and grandma who loves books and loves to get them into the hands of parents and children. We are not a foundation - just a bunch of people (all of our donors) who want to brighten the lives of those in the NICU.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 


No comments:

Post a Comment