Bookmobile News

We love the Impact 100 model of philanthropy. So we were enthused to hear last year that community service juggernaut Melissa Kelley had found partners to set up a new chapter to benefit all of Sonoma County. Impact 100 Redwood Circle has already attracted over 150 members and made their first Impact Grant of $100,000 to Voices,  an innovative nonprofit that provides youth with the resources they need to make the leap from foster care to successful, independent adulthood.

How does Impact 100 work? It’s a women’s giving circle hosted by the Community Foundation of Sonoma County, designed to empower and enable local women to serve as philanthropic leaders by collectively funding significant grants that will make a lasting impact in our community. Impact 100 Redwood Circle is comprised of 100 or more women, each of whom makes an annual donation of $1,000. The group assesses critical needs in our community, reviews grant requests for financial support, and awards one Impact Grant of $100,000 each year, as well as additional smaller grants as funding allows.

Fortunately for us, Redwood Circle raised enough in their inaugural year to fund 5 smaller Community Grants. Their membership voted the Free Bookmobile as a recipient from a crowded field of 36 worthy organizations! We plan to put their investment to work immediately toward reaching at least 1,500 more people with our service in 2017. Thank you, ladies! All the best to you as your new endeavor takes shape, and we look forward to the further impact you will make in our community in years to come.

Education is the bedrock for addressing disparities in our community; it is a human right and essential to ensuring that all children meet their greatest potential. Yet kids growing up in low-income families are exposed to less verbally rich home environments and are less likely to attend preschool, creating a ‘word gap’ of millions of words between them and their more affluent peers before they’ve even entered kindergarten.

Significant research shows that reading aloud to children from day one is the single most important thing a parent can do to help a child enter kindergarten ready to succeed. In Sonoma County, however, only 57% of parents read to their children every day. It’s critical that we equip parents with the knowledge and tools they need to be effective role models and teachers, and remove the obstacles—real or perceived—to engaging their children in reading. Fortunately Community Foundation of Sonoma County, in partnership with Cradle to Career, has launched a funding program for just this purpose.

The Free Bookmobile has won a grant to join the iRead initiative that will allow us to increase our outreach to key demographics of parents with young children in 2017, to supply them with the high quality books that will facilitate this loving and educational activity. Our new routes will include visits to all of the local AVANCE parenting classes and Pasitos playgroups so that primarily Spanish-speaking households are not left behind. That means part of the funding will increase our collection of Spanish-language and bilingual books for distribution. It doesn’t matter what you read or in which language, only that you DO read to your child, every day!

The hard working folks at Sonoma’s Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities (SCC) have come through once again with a strong fundraising year and distribution of important investments in many local children’s programs, including the Free Bookmobile! SCC generates most of their grant monies by hosting fun events at Sonoma Raceway and elsewhere, often with a special competition or racing theme. The Sonoma Chapter will host 12 events during the 2017 season including the Tour de Charity Karting Day, Grand Marshall’s Banquet, Eric Medlen Nitro Night dinner, and Grand Prix Salute of Sonoma.

We are thrilled that the Free Bookmobile’s Children’s Services has again been selected by the SCC’s board to receive crucial support. SCC has distributed more than $5.5 million to Sonoma County youth groups since 2001. Please click here to find out about all the ways you can participate in this creative philanthropy, including the opportunity to drive your own car on a legendary track for charity!