By Brandon Seng, Michigan Nonprofit Association
“I started the program with my son, a wagon, and some books,” explained Joan Carr. “I knew where the need was, and decided to do something about it.”
Carr knew that there was a desperate need for books for the youth in her community, but what she didn’t know was how her effort would inspire others. When she took to the streets of Norwayne, a neighborhood located between the cities of Wayne and Westland in the Detroit area, with a wagon full of children’s books, Carr was laying the foundation for a program that today delivers thousands of books to children in the Wayne/Westland community.
 What started with this one individual has come to be known as the Red Wagon Project, and now hosts 21 teams of individuals who carry out the task of delivering books weekly to children over the summer months. Books are donated from community members, groups and organizations, then delivered to children who would benefit from reading those books. When books are dropped off, the previous week’s delivery is picked up and redistributed farther down the route. About 50% of the books dropped off by the program will not make their way back to the wagons, and instead find permanent homes with the children of the area.
The program is inspiring children to become excited about reading, and showing them that learning is fun. With a mission deeply rooted in inspiring education, it is no wonder that several schools and higher education institutions have teams participating.
Six of the wagon pulling teams come from Schoolcraft College, where students, faculty and staff have reached out to 43 adults and 602 children, delivering a total of 2,703 books to their youngest community members. Inspiring education and learning is a priority for Schoolcraft College in this area, as 34% of residents have less than a high school education, and a mere 4% hold a bachelors degree from a college or university.
“Serving our community by providing an opportunity for children to become passionate about reading was a perfect fit for Schoolcraft,” said Michigan Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA Laura Stanton who leads Schoolcraft’s involvement in this project. “Through the participation of several partnering organizations, we have been able to provide a large amount of books free of charge to children who will truly benefit from them.”
 The summer program wrapped up on August 14 at the Red Wagon Project picnic, where the children of Norwayne gathered to enjoy a day of activities, hot dogs and ice cream. Here they celebrated friendship and community, and of course, found time to enjoy some of their favorite books.
Story provided by the Michigan Campus Compact, an affiliate of the Michigan Nonprofit Association. |
