Gifting Stories: 1,200 Books Wrapped for Oakland Youth!

Our community turned out full force at our 3rd annual Holiday Book Wrapping event! This special gathering brought together Women of Impact, Board Members, Corporate Partners, and countless dedicated volunteers at our downtown Oakland Simpson Center for Girls. Over 70 volunteers wrapped nearly 1,200 books to be gifted to youth from under-resourced communities, ensuring they have inspiring and engaging stories in their home libraries, as research shows 60% of low-income families do not have books for their children at home.  This isn’t just a one-time gift—we serve these same youth daily at Title I schools in Oakland, providing ongoing literacy programming to ensure they have the tools and support they need to succeed.

Each book was thoughtfully curated by our Literacy Team to reflect the diverse community of Oakland and to resonate with the interests, identities, and lived experiences of our youth.

The energy in the room was truly festive, with everyone bringing their holiday spirit, creativity, and wrapping expertise to make this event a resounding success. A huge thank you to everyone who participated, helping spread the joy of reading and making the holiday season even brighter for so many young people.

Special thanks to our event Sponsor, Benefit Cosmetics, for covering the cost of ALL the books and to our other partners who actively supported the effort, including Rakuten, Golden State Warriors, Golden State Valkyries, MTO Shahmaghsoudi Berkeley, San Francisco Giants, Berkeley Law Alumni Association, Ratcliff Architects, and Vintner’s Daughter.

If you were not able to attend, you can still donate to our end of year campaign!