| Success Stories
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Here are the Chicago Public Schools where Book Worm Angels
is helping
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Ashe
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Banneker
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Beidler
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Bethune
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Bouchet
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Cather
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Crown
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Darwin
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Dewey
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Doolittle East
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Dulles
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Dumas
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Dvorak
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Ericson
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Fairfield
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Faraday
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Gary
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Gregory
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Guggenheim
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Harvard
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Hay
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Henderson
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Herbert
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Holmes
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Howe
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Jackson
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Jenner
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Johns
Academy
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Johnson
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| Kanoon |
| Kershaw |
| Key |
| King |
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Lewis
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Mann
Manierre
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Mason
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McKay
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Mireles
Morgan
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Mount Vernon
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Nobel
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O’Toole
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Overton
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Paderewski
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Penn
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Piccolo
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Reavis
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Reed
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Ryerson
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Sherman
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Sherwood
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Smith
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Smyth
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Stagg
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Wentworth
West Pullman
Westcott
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Whittier
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Yale
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Success Stories
Book Worm Angels has been successful in the two key elements of the program -- gathering the books from these Angels and making them available for use in the schools.
 In PARK RIDGE, the annual Ton o' Books book drive selected Book Worm Angels as their recipient. Thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers, the drive generated FIVE TONS of books. A local car dealer generously provided a 5 ton truck, and the 20,000 books collected over a three day period were delivered directly to three
Chicago elementary schools.
In WESTERN SPRINGS, a committed supporter of Book Worm Angels, wanted to organize a successful drive. She went to the Parent/Teachers Organization of the school her 8-year-old twins attended and presented the program. The PTO approved it. She decided to get the students involved, so she next presented it to the Student Council. The class Student Council representatives spread the word throughout the school. As an incentive, the students were promised that the class which brought in the most books would be treated to a “do-it-yourself” ice cream sundae party. They agreed on a two-week drive period, and started in. Once some of her friends whose kids went to a neighborhood parochial school found out about her activity, they concluded it was a wonderful idea and ran a drive of their own. These two schools brought in over 8,000 books!
When our "Crack Logistics Team," all volunteers from the Wilmette Noon Rotary Club, arrived to pick up the books, we knew we could never load all those books into our two vans. Our supporter had realized this, offered her SUV, and her friends also showed up to help deliver books. We were a caravan of 6 vans and SUVs delivering books that day. Heartwarming was the response of the Cabrini kids coming out and lugging in all those boxes of books. It was a great day for all concerned. The school’s Reading Coordinator kept saying, “I can’t believe we got all these books!” She was awestruck.
In
GLENVIEW a Boy Scout going for his Eagle badge helped us. To get Eagle rank, a Scout has to take on a meaningful civic project showing leadership and organizational abilities. The BOOK WORM ANGELS project was just the ticket. The Scout used our kit, contacted the various schools in town, and, with the help of other Scouts in his troop, collected and delivered over 5,500 books.
The Literacy Officer for the ROLLING MEADOWS Rotary Club ran a drive via the library and through City Hall, collecting about 2,000 books. The Principal of Carl Sandburg Junior High School,
Rolling Meadows, also a member of the Rotary Club, heard about the drive. She knew her school's 8th grade honors class was looking for a project, so she told the class's teacher of our needs and gave her our book drive kit. The teacher explained the project to the kids…and they were off! They not only involved their own school, but they contacted the other schools in town, explained the program, and provided them with the signs and other materials they would need. When our "Crack Logistics Team" went to the junior high to pick up the books, we asked the usual “What door?" question. As we drove around back with our two vans, the kids were already streaming out. And they kept coming – each kid carrying a big box of books for us. Then, as we loaded up the vans, they went back for more. We ran out of space. The teacher volunteered to put the remaining boxes in her car and personally delivered them to us. Over 5,000 books!
With the help of a PTO volunteer and the school staff, members of
Evanston
High School's Senior Honors Program had a drive in early 2004 that netted over 2,000 books. And it was during that drive that Book Worm Angels collected its 100,000th book!
A Book Worm Angels supporter from
WILMETTE led a drive in her kids’ church school, which, coupled with the Park Ridge Library, netted over 4,000 books.
A member of EVANSTON Rotary ran a drive at a local parochial school, netting over 2,000 books.
 We have achieved demonstrable success with minimal funding and a volunt eer staff. Since starting the program in 1999, and testing it for 3 years in 3 schools in
Chicago’s inner city, the program has expanded in the last year to 137 schools and over 68,000 at-risk students. Results from the most recent teacher survey included the following:
- Number of respondents: 219
- Students borrow books 2.6 times/week to take home
- Use the books provided as a take-home lending library: 83%
- Teachers believe the Book Worm Angels program improves students' reading ability "quite a bit."
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In addition, we know:
- Principals who don’t have the program want it.
- Principals who have the program want to continue,
- Each year more teachers in participating schools sign on.
- Each year, more parents get involved.
- More children in the same family enjoy the books they get to borrow.
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