Mission
Books In Homes USA’s driving purpose is to make a profound impact on the trajectories of our country's most vulnerable members, children living in underserved communities, by inspiring a love of reading and establishing a foundation for success now and in the future.
To facilitate this mission, we aim to get books into the hands of children, support our schools and educators, and create a community of book lovers committed to fostering a love of reading for the next generation.
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
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
Board of Directors
Dr. Richard Quest
Founder and Board Chair
Favorite book as a child: Encyclopedia Brown
by Donald J. Sobol
Awilda Balbuena
Board Member
Favorite book as a child:
The Giving Tree
by Shel Silverstein
Kevin Drinkwater
Board Treasurer and Founding Member
Favorite book as a child:
Reach for the Sky
by Paul Brickhill
John Hepworth
Favorite book as a child:
Shantaram
by Gregory David Roberts
