Catherine's Reading Goal:  3,500 pages

Hi, family and friends! I am thrilled to continue my new tradition of birthday fundraising for my favorite Chicago nonprofit, Open Books! A big birthday deserves a big goal - 3500 pages for 35! I'm really ramping it up this year, with double my fundraising goal from last year, 7x the pages read, and on top of that - an entire career change to get even closer to books. I will be starting my MLIS at University of IL in the fall (shout out to Aunts Leenie and Pat for the idea, and to everyone for the encouragement along the way!), and recently started working at Chicago Public Library which has been a total and complete dream. I've been encouraged my whole life by family and friends to get lost in a good book, and Open Books makes that same delight possible for an entire city.

And in case you were wondering, Paul STILL thinks this would be a good time for me to read Infinite Jest and that's getting harder to ignore. Will I finally give in? Will I continue to disregard the favorite book of the man I love for no reason other than I think it's hipster dude trash because I decided so before I even met him and refuse to change my mind? All those who donate will earn a subscription to my email chain documenting the behind the scenes high stakes drama of a local woman striving to read 3500 pages in one month for a good cause. Donate and find out what happens!

Open Books' Associate Board is hosting a month-long Read-a-Thon throughout March 2024, in honor of National Reading Month, to raise funds and awareness for Open Books' signature reading and book access programs. Considering Open Books' mission to support literacy skill development and encourage everyone to enjoy reading, this is a fantastic opportunity to get involved and show why you love to read! Please consider supporting one of our readers or joining in the fun yourself - you can sign up here or contact development@open-books.org to learn more and get started. 

This year, the Read-a-Thon team is working hard to raise $20,000 for Open Books' literacy and book access programs. Consider what your donations can support:

$25 can provide one child with a year of new books through our Imagination Library program
$50 can support a month of upkeep of our Little Free Library network in Lawndale
$100 can provide 30 new, high-interest book titles for our youth book granting efforts
$250 can fund supplies for one of our eight-week-long Early Childhood Literacy Residencies in at-home daycares
$500 can support the development of resources for parents and caregivers in our target communities

Open Books' Mission

Open Books' mission is to transform lives through reading, writing, and the unlimited power of books. Each year, Open Books engages children and families through its literacy programs and donates over 160,000 books to youth, families, and resource-withheld communities throughout the Chicago area annually. To learn more, please visit www.open-books.org.