Magic City Books

Collecting books for students in grades K-5

Background Information

There’s no doubt a quality education is a huge privilege and schools that holistically develop an individual and their intellect are unfortunately not as accessible as they should be. In Birmingham, Alabama, strides towards a better education system are being made and there’s a good deal of work to be done to give every adolescent the schooling they deserve. A charter school called I3 Academy is opening in the community of Woodlawn near Catherine and she was eager to help their establishment in any way. It’s no secret that reading, specifically at a young age, can have an incredibly positive effect on a student. So, Catherine sought to build their library with a range of children’s books in an effort to create a positive and well-resourced learning environment for incoming K-5th graders.

Implementation of the Project

Catherine curated an Amazon wish-list of books for an easily accessible medium to purchase books for I3 Academy students. She sent the link  to fellow students, teachers, adults, and friends asking for any gifts or donations. Baskets were put out in her school’s library for any gently used/new books and she was pleasantly overwhelmed with support from her community.

Results of the Project

As of May 27, 2019 Catherine had collected around 100 books!  This project is ongoing and the wish-list remains open to anyone hoping to help give the highest quality education to I3 Academy’s students.

“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family”.
Kofi Annan