Springing into Literacy: National Volunteer Month and Spring Break Pop-Ups!

The first day of spring was March 20th, and the Book Bank has been taking full advantage of the fresh energy! From fostering a literacy ecosystem with our spring break pop-up Bookmobile visits to revamping our Book Bank space to celebrating National Volunteer Month, it’s been a meaningful time full of growth and community.

Baltimore City’s spring break allows the Book Bank time to reflect on the school year and set intentions for how we want to close it out. During this time, our wonderful Lead Program Coordinator, J Lisak, had a brilliant idea: what if we took the Bookmobile to parks throughout Maryland during the weeklong break? After all, as we know, fostering literacy doesn’t end in the classroom.

Creating a literacy ecosystem is always at the forefront of what we do, and a massive part of this is encouraging a love of reading within households throughout our state. What better way to do that than to let parents experience the joy and wonder of the Ravens Bookmobile with their child?

On April 3rd, I had the opportunity to take the Bookmobile to Patterson Park with my colleague, Col Hallinan. We parked the truck near the tennis courts, set out some lawn chairs, and promoted free books to all of our passersby. What we experienced was awe-inspiring. We had children climbing in with their parents, grandparents, and babysitters. We had expectant parents searching for their child’s first addition to their home library. One of my favorite moments was a boy spending the weekend with his aunt who got his newest copy of the Dog Man series!

It was truly a magical afternoon spent in the community that reminded me of the thriving literacy ecosystem in Baltimore that we’ve had a hand in shaping, along with the support of our volunteers, who have shown up and shown out this spring! In March and April, the Book Bank hosted 244 volunteers, an astonishing number of individuals, organizations, and community groups showing up to do the work that makes events like the pop-up visits possible.

April, which was National Volunteer Month, gave us the perfect opportunity to pause and honor the incredible individuals who make our work possible. We host about 2-3 open volunteer sessions each week, in which anyone from our community can come in to sort books. These sessions have become my favorite parts of each week because I see the tangible effects of serving the community. It’s impossible to leave a session of sorting through your favorite books from childhood sad! My goal is to provide a volunteer experience that is equally as meaningful to the students we serve as it is to each person taking the time out of their day to support our organization, and these open volunteer sessions allow me the opportunity to do just that! To my consistent volunteers, thank you. To one-time volunteers, thank you! And for anyone who’s looking for a sign to get involved in the community - here it is.

As we celebrated the people who keep our shelves stocked and our doors open, it felt only right to shine a light on the space itself and the work that has gone into making it more welcoming than ever, mostly thanks to Col! Throughout Col’s tenure as Warehouse Coordinator, he has spent countless hours focusing on improving the organization and feel of the Book Bank space. The new and improved non-fiction section, which truly launched this past November, is a living space that requires constant upkeep and evolution. New standing sections, like Black History, Music and Dance, Indigenous Culture, Textbooks and Workbooks, Folklore and Mythology, and even a “Tough Topics” bookshelf, have revolutionized the Book Bank experience.

When our staff is facilitating public hours, we receive a high volume of requests for all different types of books. Homeschool teachers, public and private school educators, grandparents, school counselors and therapists, and children interested in finding their next book come to our space in hopes of encountering what they’re looking for. By implementing these categories, Col has increased the ease of finding these requests from our community.

Spring has been a season of growth in every sense of the word. The number of books finding their way into homes, the communities we've been able to reach, and the space we call home at the Book Bank has bloomed. Each special moment this spring has reminded us of why the work we do matters! As we head into the final stretch of the school year, we carry with us the energy of 244 volunteers, the smiles of children climbing into the Bookmobile, and the knowledge that Baltimore's literacy ecosystem is alive, thriving, and growing.