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.
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 1 million 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
Jason Russell
Board Member
Melissa Murphy
Board Member