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An Update from
BFK's New Executive Director

Welcome BFK's new Executive Director, Ruthi Hortsch! Ruthi began her tenure with Books for Keeps in June 2024, and we are excited to follow her lead into this next chapter of BFK's story. Learn more about Ruthi here, or visit our team page.  


Hello, friends of Books for Keeps!

I am writing to introduce myself as the new Executive Director of Books for Keeps. I’m excited and honored to be entrusted with this opportunity to contribute to such a meaningful mission with an outsized impact. I believe that literacy is key for creating opportunity, and as a life-long reader and bookworm, I’m looking forward to contributing to a mission that centers the joy of reading.

Over the last decade and more, I have dedicated my career to education and youth development, starting by teaching at the college level at my alma mater, the University of Michigan, and then at Massachusetts Institute of Technology while completing my Ph.D. in Mathematics. (If you can’t tell, I’m a numbers person!) My commitment to equal access to high quality educational experiences led me to Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM),  where I spent over 7 years serving in various roles, most recently as the Executive Director of New York Programs. I moved here to Athens, GA about a year ago with my spouse, who is a professor of mathematics at the University of Georgia. 

Not surprisingly, we've found a warm welcome in Athens and are excited to get more involved in this incredible community. I had gotten to know Books for Keeps a little bit through volunteering in the warehouse and at Spring Book Distributions at Howard B. Stroud and Gaines Elementary. When I saw they were looking for a new leader, I was excited for the opportunity to lend my skills, experience, and enthusiasm to their mission. After getting to know the team more through the interview process this summer, I’m thrilled to link arms with such a great community of staff, volunteers, partners, and donors in our mission of inspiring joyful experiences with literacy that can forever be associated with learning. 

I’m joining Books for Keeps at a very exciting time: after several years of expanding our programming to deepen our strategic literacy support and reach even more children and families, we are looking ahead to our next chapter of sustainability as an organization. In the near future, we are focused on deepening partnerships for long-term impact and continuing to support literacy for all in collaboration with our community. 

There's many meaningful ways that you can get involved in these coming months: 

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  • Become a Mentor - Storytellers Literacy Mentor applications are open! You can make an impact with just 30 minutes or 1 hour a week by supporting an elementary school student this year. Training, activities, and on-site support are provided and no former mentoring experience is required. Learn more and apply here. 

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  • Volunteer in the BFK Warehouse - It’s one of our favorite times of year in the BFK Warehouse: we’ve started sorting book inventory for the 5th Annual Community Book Fair! You can sign up for any volunteer shift here and join us in preparing thousands of books to be shared with our community this October. â€‹

 

  • Sponsor the Community Book Fair - At the BFK Book Fair, every visitor is invited to take up to 100 free books per day! Designed to promote expanded book access for all, this event is completely free to community members thanks to local sponsor. If your business or group is interested in partnering with us as a sponsor this year, learn more here. 


Thank you for your support of Books for Keeps so far. Our work would not be possible without your partnership, and I'm looking forward to meeting you all soon!

Best,
Ruthi

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