First Book-Charlotte 
   Giving children the opportunity to read and own their first new books!

About First Book

First Book is a nonprofit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. We provide an ongoing supply of new books to children participating in community-based mentoring, tutoring, and family literacy programs.

Our Mission and Quick Facts

  •  First Book provides new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books.
  • An innovative leader in social enterprise, First Book has distributed more than 60 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities.
  • First Book now has offices in the U.S. and Canada.
  • First Book was founded in 1992 and is still led by President and Co-founder, Kyle Zimmer.
  • First Book has distributed more than 60 million new books to children from low-income families in thousands of communities across the United States.
  • First Book is national in scope, but local in impact, with more than 275 First Book Advisory Boards forming an extensive network of volunteer community leaders serving as ambassadors dedicated to fundraising.
  •  The Advisory boards provide book grants to local literacy programs, and raise awareness of literacy issues within local communities, college campuses and universities.
  • First Book is the signature charity of the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard provides First Book with volunteer support and warehouse space around the nation.

You can also view a list of our recent honors and awards.

About First Book-Charlotte

First Book-Charlotte is part of the national, all-volunteer non-profit network of local advisory boards whose sole mission is to help children from low-income families read & own their own books.  Started by the passion of chairwoman, Colleen Ludington and Vice Chair, Erin McClure, in the last 3 years, First Book-Charlotte has granted more than 50,000 brand new books to children in Mecklenburg & Union counties.

First Book-Charlotte serves the metropolitan Charlotte area, including Mecklenburg and Union counties. Through the generous support of friends, neighbors, and corporate sponsors, First Book-Charlotte is able to provide brand new books to children from low-income families. Working with existing literacy-based programs, books are provided to children at no cost to the program or family. Partnerships with large publishers enable our board to provide a brand new book for around $2.50.

 Access to books is the key to literacy, yet the majority of children in low-income families exist in a wordless environment, without books in their homes or in the preschool and after-school programs they attend. The low-income neighborhoods in which they live often lack libraries, bookstores or even signs with interesting written messages. 

Meet Your Local Board

Click Here to Meet the members of your local
FBC Board

Local Sponsors and Donors

First Book-Charlotte is able to provide brand-new, high-quality books to children in our community thanks to the generous financial contributions of local businesses and individuals.

 

View the award-winning video, There's a Place for You. Listen to Advisory Board chairs talk about First Book, explain the AB model, and share in the magic of watching children receive their first new books.

First Book National Events

Read the latest national news from First Book


Learn more about the national organization of First Book

 

First Book Charlotte is now on Facebook

Click Here To See the FBC Facebook page

  or search for the Cause,
First Book Charlotte.