Mission, Vision and Values.
Our mission is to level the literacy playing field for K-8 students living in poverty by providing high quality, high-interest, culturally relevant books, and a transformed school library space that invites students to spend time and read.
We provide books to schools in low-income neighborhoods where roughly 80 percent of students live at or below the poverty line. Most students at the schools we serve are children of color and children of immigrants. Since 2016, Access Books Bay Area has donated more than 80,000 books, and transformed 16 school libraries that serve children with the most limited access to books in the Bay Area. We are a sister organization to Access Books in Southern California, which inspired our work and has been operating since 1999.
So many children never leave the five block radius of their home. Books can give them another world.
“Give a child a book and she’ll be happy.
Give a child a library and she’ll be literate.”
– Rebecca Constantino, founder of Access Books in Los Angeles
Literacy is a fundamental right
We believe that all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status, have the right to an educational environment that fosters a love of reading. Study after study has shown that students who read more do better. And not just academically, but in life. This benefit should not be reserved only for the children of the affluent and well-educated.
School libraries matter
In schools with high quality, well-stocked school libraries, children do better. Yet California provides no dedicated funding for school libraries. This is a crisis in low-income communities especially. We believe that every child has the right to have access to a high quality school library space and collection that will help foster their love of reading.
Diversity & representation matter
When the books in a school library do not reflect the lives and reality of the students at the school, or are full of outdated information and harmful stereotypes, children are not inspired to read. We believe that every child has the right to see themselves in the books they read, as well as to become inspired, and gain empathy walking in the shoes of others.
Our Team
Board of Directors
The Access Books Bay Area board of directors is a team of hard-working, hands-on, passionate advocates for the cause of literacy in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Amanda Collins
Executive Director & Board President
Alison Guan
Program Director & Board Secretary
Linda Forrester
Program Director & Board Member
Kavitha Pendyala
Board Treasurer
Robert Coles
Board Member
Cathy Cheng
Director of Fundraising and Corporate Outreach & Board Member
Sofiya Melnykova
Web Content Administrator & Board Member
Staff
These talented and dedicated individuals volunteer their time long-term with Access Books Bay Area in a variety of fields. To join this team, contact us at books@accessbooksbayarea.org.
Meera Nair
Corporate Outreach and Fundraising
Cecilia Jones
Artistic Director
Our Sponsors & Partners
To find out how your company can become an Access Books Bay Area corporate sponsor, visit our Corporate Sponsorship Page.
Sage Foundation
Shearman & Sterling LLC
CBIZ Retirement Plan Services
ModSquad
Sacred Heart Community Service
Ardian
MUFG Union Bank
Hassett Ace Hardware Palo Alto
Little Free Library
Environmental Volunteers
Armanino
A Bigger Room
Highwind Impact Fund
Mission City Community Fund
