AmazeWorks

Bring Belonging Book Bags to Families Sheltering in Place!

AmazeWorks needs your help distributing Belonging Book Bags to 600 Minneapolis families sheltering in place due to the ICE occupation. We’re providing AmazeWorks families with identity-affirming stories to counter harmful messages about our immigrant neighbors, bringing belonging directly into their homes. Rebecca and Ryan posing with book donations

Already, we’ve secured donations for over 400 families thanks to book donations from Raising a Reader, Lerner Publishing Group, Penguin Random House, We Are Stronger Than Censorship, A Book Of My Own, The Collective Book Studio, and our own AmazeWorks library. We’re still over 500 books away from fulfilling every request. We need your help providing the remaining families with books for belonging! 

What’s in a Belonging Book Bag?

• 4 identity-affirming books 
• AmazeWorks reading guides to foster meaningful discussion
• Wellness activity materials
  

These books span across genre, reading level, and identity, including many bilingual titles. We’re grateful for support from our partners to make Belonging Book Bags possible.

AmazeWorks is raising $6,000 for 600 Belonging Book Bags. This amount covers additional book donations, material costs, and staff time for project management. 

We’re calling on you, our community, to keep the momentum going and ensure every single family request is delivered. 💪 Can you help us reach this goal by March 5 to ensure all 600 families receive a Belonging Book Bag for their home?

When the outside world sends hateful messages about who you are, stories can be life-giving. Help children access identity-affirming materials about their lives and their language by donating today. Even with the announcement that ICE agents are withdrawing from Minnesota, our community will be healing from this for a long time. Help us start the healing by supporting Belonging Book Bags. 💗

Ryan and Sophie preparing Belonging Book Bags

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AmazeWorks envisions a world where every child can thrive because they are seen, heard, and valued for all of who they are. We use picture books to give children mirrors of their own lives and windows into those different from them. Our curriculum provides identity affirmation for people across racial, gender, sexual, and countless more identities. Since our founding in 1996, we’ve seen the way books bring belonging for all to life. 

Donate to AmazeWorks to invest in belonging for all.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to see campaign updates. For more information about AmazeWorks, visit our website at amazeworks.org.

“Allie came home on Friday excited to tell us about a book you read in class. She said the book had two dads in it and some kids identified Allie as having two dads (in a good way). We want to say thank you for reading a book that has a family like ours. It made a huge impact on her. Thank you!” - Parent of a 1st grade student

“Using picture books as springboards into courageous conversations, and class surveys to understand the hidden relationships and class culture, I have been able to integrate social skills into our daily lessons without having to take away from other subject areas. Their selected books are already vetted to ensure there is an authentic voice, diverse perspective and a lack of stereotypes. AmazeWorks empowers me with the tools to better support my students and encourage social/emotional growth in an equitable manner.” - St. Paul teacher