Community Involvement
Working with the Community
Over the past 20+ years, Lightbox Learning has donated more than 2 million books to organizations that promote literacy in the United States and around the world. We carefully select charities that help children living in disadvantaged areas. Through our partnership with these organizations, we do our best to ensure that children who have no access to books become avid, successful readers and achieve a better future.
The objective of Bernie’s Book Bank is to support the hard work being done in schools to improve literacy by ensuring that children have books to read at home. Every child who attends a qualified school receives two bags of books from Bernie’s Book Bank every year. Each bag contains eight “just right,” age-appropriate books. In providing a quantity of books to each child every year, they not only provide them with reading materials to fuel their love for reading, but also create “book ambassadors” for a lifetime.
1.3+ million books donated!
COVID-19 Response
One of the biggest changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was for the children of the world, who had to learn from home, isolated from classmates, friends, teachers, and resource and media specialists. Building on our tradition of promoting literacy and providing quality educational materials that reach students of all backgrounds, Lightbox Learning decided to directly address this change by offering temporary unlimited access to our K–12 Subscription at no cost until August 1, 2020. This allowed schools, severely impacted by mandatory closures caused by the pandemic, to have access to digital and distance learning content for the rest of the 2019–2020 school year and through the summer.
The mission of Book Worm Angels / Open Books is to foster the development of recreational reading habits beyond the classroom among students in underperforming schools. The organization does this by providing books to stock in-classroom lending libraries for Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8. The books are fun, recreational reading, and they are free.
13,000+ books donated!
Libraries for the World
Founded by Debbie Chavez, Libraries for the World creates community libraries for children around the globe. With projects in Uganda, Tanzania, and Guatemala, it works to provide young readers in underprivileged areas with equitable access to books and information.
“The children love having access to books, something that they haven’t ever had in their lives, and they love AV2’s books. The format is clear and easy to read. The nonfiction books are perfect, especially since many children can’t afford to enroll in school. Your books will allow unschooled children in the village to learn about the world around them and allow school students to extend and further their understanding of what they’re learning in school.”
– Debbie Chavez
Lightbox Learning has donated many hardcover English and Spanish titles from our AV2 imprint to Libraries for the World, helping them on their incredible quest to provide books to children around the world.
16,000+ books donated!
Partnering with local organizations, educational institutions, and government organizations, Librarians Without Borders works to establish libraries in developing regions. It has helped build libraries in Angola, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and other nations.
12,000+ books donated!
Past Donations
Rock for Reading
The program worked to combat rising youth illiteracy rates in the United States through the recruitment of book donations from publishers and the distribution of donated books to literacy organizations. Committed to creating a nation of readers, Rock for Reading worked to get books to those children who most needed them and to help one child at a time, one book at a time, to discover the wonderful world of reading.
330,000+ books donated!
Redmoon Theater
In partnership with Redmoon Theater of Chicago, Lightbox Learning worked with a team of curriculum experts and artists to create a book titled The Great Chicago Fire, celebrating Chicago’s epic resurgence following the fire of 1871. It engaged youth in a story that championed themes of grit and resilience, with the goal of inspiring them to see everyday examples of strength.
31,000+ books donated!
