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Mission

Books In Homes USA’s primary mission is to inspire a love of reading and foster literacy proficiency among all children. We achieve this goal through partnerships with schools and organizations across the nation, providing opportunities that empower students to select and take home new books they can cherish. We advocate for every child's right to experience the lifelong benefits of book ownership.

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History

Books In Homes USA is modeled after Duffy Books In Homes New Zealand. Alan Duff, a New Zealand author identifying that failures in adult life often stem from childhoods spent in bookless homes, created Duffy Books In Homes New Zealand in 1994 and Books In Homes Australia in 2001. After visiting New Zealand during 2005 as part of his doctoral studies through the University of Pennsylvania, Books In Homes USA’s inaugural executive director, Dr. Richard E. Quest, brought the Duffy Books In Homes program to the USA. In 2008, “Duffy Books In Homes USA” launched organizational efforts and received 501(c)(3) approval. Today, the organization is known as “Books In Homes USA and has distributed more than 897,000 books to 335,439 children

Staff

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Kate Bowersox

Executive Director

Favorite book as a child:

Nancy Drew

by Carolyn Keene

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Jessica Murphy

General Manager

Favorite book as a child:

Ramona the Pest

by Beverly Cleary

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Board of Directors

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Dr. Richard Quest

Founder and Board Chair

Favorite book as a child: Encyclopedia Brown

by Donald J. Sobol 

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Awilda Balbuena

Board Member

Favorite book as a child:

The Giving Tree

by Shel Silverstein

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Kevin Drinkwater

Board Treasurer and Founding Member

Favorite book as a child:

Reach for the Sky

by Paul Brickhill

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John Hepworth

Favorite book as a child:

Shantaram

by Gregory David Roberts

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