Check out Gayla’s books You Grow Girl and Grow Great Grub

UPDATE: Gayla’s books we’re instantly wish list’d! Still 18 other books in the list though!

Good morning, Ballllltimooooore! Baltimore! Charm City! John Waters! Crab Cakes! Crippling Poverty! …no, seriously, Baltimore like has some rough stuff going on. That’s why this year Dewey’s totally going steady with the Village Learning Place in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Village Learning Place won Dewey’s heart in a very quick two-step process.

Photo by Marc Campos
Pamie wishes Dave didn't think it was funny to post her roller derby pictures.

1a. VLP Volunteer & Community Relations Coordinator (and die-hard Michael Jackson lover) Emily Gould braved insufferable heat, blood-stained hotel rooms, questionable taxi cabs, bruises, fuzzy hotel porn, many drinks and many more dance parties just to make sure Pamie was well taken care of.

2. The story of how the Village Learning Place came to be.

The VLP’s building was Branch No. 6 of the Enoch Pratt Free Library from 1896 to 1997, when budget cuts led the city to identify a few physically smaller branches for closure. The Charles Village neighborhood demonstrated against the closure on Saint Paul Street, carrying signs that read “RIP Library” and wearing Victorian mourning attire. This protest garnered a significant amount of media coverage, but didn’t deter the library system from planning the closure. The neighborhood residents organized further and found pro bono legal representation, suing the Enoch Pratt Free Library system to keep their branch open. They lost their suit, but won control of the building and held a community meeting to decide what to do with the space, ultimately agreeing on a library with expanded, free cultural and educational programming.

It took them three years, $1.5 million in fundraising, and thousands of volunteer hours to restore the building, install shelving, and build a new collection. Preparations for the grand opening in 2000 included a book brigade down Saint Paul Street, where the protest had been held years before.

The VLP celebrated their tenth anniversary this summer. Hooray!

But now, in order to meet the needs of their community, they need to grow! This year, the VLP is expanding its educational space to serve more patrons at more times throughout the day, and expanding its LINK programming to include preschool and high school-aged children. In order to finance this growth, the VLP hopes to raise a $1 million budget for the first time. That’s a lot of cash! Heeeeelp!

Want to know even more about the Village Learning Place? Look here!

The Village Learning Place (VLP) is a dynamic 501(c)3 nonprofit library, learning center, and community garden in the Charles Village neighborhood of Baltimore City. The VLP’s mission is to promote literacy, cultural awareness, and lifelong learning, offering free, high-quality educational, cultural, and outreach programs that are specifically designed to meet the diverse needs of neighborhood residents and to unite and strengthen the community.

The VLP’s Victorian brick building was an original branch of Baltimore’s public library system. When the Charles Village branch was closed in 1997, neighborhood residents fought, rallied, and created the Village Learning Place to fill the community’s need for accessible resources of all kinds.

Charles Village is a socioeconomically and racially diverse inner-city neighborhood. While boasting a strong tradition of activism, the community faces the challenges of poverty, drugs and violence. The VLP’s neighbor and partner, Margaret Brent Elementary/Middle School, has seen two murders on its block in 2010. Margaret Brent is a Title I school, with over 90% of students receiving free or reduced-price meals. Academic performance is consistently lower than the City’s average. the VLP’s Let’s Invest in Neighborhood Kids (LINK) program has helped students attain higher academic achievement, increased family involvement significantly, and built a culture of safety, respect, and engaged learning. Through its programs, services, and partnerships, the VLP serves as an anchoring institution and a partner in a healthy and cohesive community.

The VLP is a circulating community library and garden that are open to the public at least 40 hours per week, including evening and weekend hours. Ongoing adult and senior cultural programming, from author readings and jazz concerts to cooking demonstrations and cardiac health workshops, help strengthen the community’s involvement in the great collaborative project that is the Village Learning Place.

Through a partnership with Baltimore City Community College, the VLP provides GED and computer classes to adults, both of which are needed in a city where the high school graduation rate has just climbed above 50%. The VLP also provides outreach programming for teachers and schools in Baltimore City. Books2Go reaches over 800 Baltimore City Schools and Head Start students each year, fostering a love of reading, building home libraries, and modeling best read-aloud practices for students and teachers.

In the three years ahead, programming will expand to serve early childhood and high school students. The VLP’s education team has envisioned this strengthened and expanded LINK as a “cradle to gown” initiative. In a cradle to gown approach, LINK will guide learners from before they enter Pre-Kindergarten until they graduate from high school ready to confidently enter college or the workforce, pursuing a lifetime of learning. Cradle to gown also means a multi-year impact on the whole family, and the VLP will connect LINK family members with its full range of programs and services.

This year there’s so many ways to participate in the Dewey Donation System — matched cash donations, Amazon wishlist hollowing and independent bookstore tag teaming — it’s hard to pick which one will be the most fun! (Dewey’s suggestion? “Dew them all!”)

DUDE! DOUBLE DOLLARS FOR DEWEY!

In conjunction with the VLP’s 10th anniversary, a local foundation is generously — and anonymously– providing a challenge grant! They are matching dollar-for-dollar any new or increased gifts to the organization up to $30,000 total!

That means every dollar donated through Dewey will actually mean two dollars for the VLP! Let’s help that mysterious stranger write a big, fat check.

Donor Levels

• $15 – Add a book to the library’s growing collection.
• $25 – Provide free books for one Books2Go Head Start or City Schools classroom.
• $50 – Fund one monthly cultural program for adults.
• $125 – Give one City schoolchild a week in the LINK After School program.
• $250 – Provide interactive storytimes for young readers in the library.
• $500 – Fund a field trip for eighty LINK After School students to a local cultural institution.
• $1000 – Join the VLP’s leadership giving circle, the Village Vanguard: A $1000 donation is a leadership gift at the VLP, providing access to our highest – and only – giving group, the Village Vanguard. Donors at this level are recognized on our website, in our annual report, in the library, and at an annual reception. They’re also regularly and personally updated by senior staff on the results of their gifts and the VLP’s work. At other cultural institutions – or even public library systems – leadership giving is often out of the reach of the average person. But not at the VLP!

Donors will receive a recognition letter for tax purposes, as well as good vibes and gratitude (and the always excellent Karma that comes from helping kids find books)!

Double It Up by PayPal

Donate online via PayPal right here.

Double It Up by Credit Card

To avoid PayPal transaction fees, donate via credit card:
Contact
Darran Tilghman
Director of Development
(410) 235-2210 x204
darran@villagelearningplace.org

Double It Up by Check

Checks can be mailed to:
Darran Tilghman
Village Learning Place
2521 Saint Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21218

Please indicate that your donation is part of the Dewey Donation System, and don’t forget to find out if your company has a matching gift program!!

The VLP is a 501(c)3 nonprofit funded though grants and individual donations. (That’s you.) This year, the VLP is expanding its educational space to serve more patrons at more times throughout the day, and expanding its LINK programming to include preschool and high school-aged children. In order to finance this growth, the VLP hopes to raise a $1 million budget for the first time. That’s a lot of cash! Heeeeelp!

Old School Bookstravaganza Amazon Wishlists

This is our tried and true, always fun way to send books straight into the hands of the people who need them the most.

The VLP’s nascent special collections were developed in response to patron needs. Areas of emphasis are Cookbooks, Gardening, Parenting, and African-American History and Culture. Right now, there’s way too much empty shelf space (which means there’s room to grow!). Browse through the wishlists to some of your favorite books, then make a few clicks and be a superhero without even leaving your computer. Or smartphone. Or iPad. Gosh, aren’t you fancy with the technology? Don’t feel guilty. It’s not judgment. But…maybe you should help someone who has to rely on a public building and tireless volunteers just to be able to use a computer.

Banned Books

Given the VLP’s roots in community activism, and to celebrate Banned Books Week in September, the VLP is building its collection of books which have been burned, banned or challenged.

Adults

The VLP’s collection has mostly been built on donations, so the newest and most popular books aren’t always available. Adult patron tastes run from popular fiction to weighty biography. This section also supports the VLP’s GED and computer classes.

African-American History & Culture

This section celebrates African-American history and culture, supporting student and public research and the VLP’s programs on African-American and Baltimore history.

Children

The VLP’s children’s section is its most popular, ranging from board books to science reference to Harry Potter. About one-third of adults in Baltimore City are functionally illiterate: Help make the children’s section a resource where students can learn to read for education and for pleasure.

Cookbooks

Both adults and kids love the VLP’s cookbook section. Given Baltimore’s strong interest in local food, an emphasis on healthy eating in the public schools, and a farmer’s market in the VLP’s neighborhood, this collection aims to promote healthy eating habits and encourage a love of home cooking.

Parenting

There are plenty of “oldies but goodies” (i.e., “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”) in the VLP’s parenting collection, but this section needs serious updating in order to serve as a real resource for parents.

Teacher Resources

The VLP’s after-school program teachers provide high-quality programming on a shoestring budget. These resources are available to support teaching in the VLP’s programs, and are also used by teachers in the Baltimore City public schools.

Teens

In an environment where just over 50% of teens graduate from high school, engaging students’ interest in reading is a challenge. Fill this collection with current, engrossing literature, and watch teens read.

Gardening

The VLP’s inner-city setting means most patrons garden creatively in small spaces. Our collection focuses on urban gardening for food and pleasure.

Donating to the Village Learning Place through their local bookstore

You can buy items from the VLP’s wishlists through The Ivy, and they’ll give you 15% off — plus free delivery! Aren’t indie bookstores the best?

Get your credit card ready and call
The Ivy at (410) 377-2966 and ask for: Greg Szczeszek (A man of many Zs!), or let them know you’re trying to send books via the Dewey Donation System to the Village Learning Place

The Ivy Bookshop
6080 Falls Road
Baltimore, MD 21209

Don’t forget to share your love!

As always, please let us know what you sent and why. Part of the fun of Dewey is sharing stories about our love of reading, of books, and of libraries that made a difference in our lives. We’ll be posting stats and letters from the Village Learning Place as quickly as we can, but the only way we can track the donations in real time is if you let us know.

Okay, so please spread the word, tell your friends, link your blogs, bug your co-workers and most importantly, click and give. Dewey loves you, and so do we.

Oh, and if you haven’t heard: donating to Dewey gives you some kind of freaky good Karma, so you might want to work on your mantra or study your vision board or whatever new-age fad you’re into these days before you make that final click. Good things will happen! And that’s a promise.

Thanks in advance for your awesomocity.

Here’s a snapshot look at the 2008 Book Drive in support of the Children’s Institute and Rockhouse Foundation. We’d like to thank everyone again for your incredibly generous support! AGAIN AND AGAIN!

Grand Tally: 882 Donors, 1928 Books & $17494 in cash

• Introduction to the 2008 Book Drive
• Rockhouse and Children’s Institute
• The drive is over but you can still donate!
• Donation stories from the 2008 Book Drive
• All posts from the 2008 Drive

Here’s a snapshot look at the 2006 Book Drive in support of Harrison County Library. We’d like to thank everyone again for your incredibly generous support!

Grand Tally: 587 Donors, 1910 Books & $3205 in cash

1. Introduction to the 2006 Book Drive
2. Harrison County Library Info
3. Donation stories from the 2006 Book Drive
4. All posts from the 2006 Drive

Did you just do something heroic? Did you just send a gift to a library in need?

THANK YOU.

And please, let us know what you sent. And if you’re feeling talky, Dewey listens like a bartender who’s got hours to go before last call… on open mic night. Feel free to tell us what got you here, and why you gave. Feel the love.

Thank you! You just made someone smile.

If you bought something off a wish list please copy and paste the URL into your post — it will turn into a link automagically! Note that your post will appear after we’ve had a chance to read it over and add info to our book drive tally.

Here’s a snapshot look at the Going In Circles Drive! Speaking of going in circles, we can’t stop saying THANK YOU again for your awesome, booky support.

Grand Tally: Over 225 Books in less than a week!

• Day One
• Day Two
• Day Four-ish
• Day Like Six, but Pamie Had an Injury She Was Blaming
• Last Day Thank Yous

This is Kat from the Benton Harbor Public Library writing to thank you so much for the wonderful donations that we have received because of your site! The books have been arriving, and they are much appreciated. Most of the books will be put into the collection, and a few will be given to teens during the summer reading program. Because of the donations the library will able to offer patrons access to books that otherwise would not have been available.

We were really excited to see that you’d visited our Facebook page, and even linked it on your site. Thank you again for all the wonderful donations! It’s been such a great surprise, and a special treat to see what books come in each day.

Kat Werner
Head of Teen Services
Benton Harbor Public Library