Support needy teens with your own Booze for Books party on April 12

CHICAGO—On April 12, people across the United States will join the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) in celebrating Support Teen Literature Day, the Thursday of National Library Week, by hosting a Booze for Books fundraiser to benefit the Books for Teens initiative. Books for Teens aims to give libraries funds to purchase age-appropriate, high-quality recent materials for teens in low-income communities.

Booze for Books plays on the traditional cocktail party fundraiser, but anyone who wants to participate can plan any kind of event—Burgers for Books, Mocktails for a Mission for example—and help raise funds for Books for Teens.

To participate, plan an event in your area on April 12 and collect funds at it. It can be an event dedicated to fundraising or simply passing a collection jar around at the monthly book club meeting. Once the funds are collected, you can donate them to Books for Teens online through GiveALA or Causes.com or send a check to YALSA, ATTN: Books for Teens, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Donations are tax-deductible, as YALSA is a division of the American Library Association, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

YALSA offers several resources for those who wish to join in the fun and host an event. YALSA’s Financial Advancement Committee developed a YALSA fundraising guide (PDF 241 KB) with tips on planning, marketing and promotion and more, including donation forms and thank-you notes. Book-themed recipes can be found on Pinterest, and you’re welcome to add your own! Anyone tweeting about Booze for Books can use the hashtags #b4byalsa and #nlw12.

Books for Teens’ mission is to empower the nation’s at-risk teens to achieve more by providing them with free high quality, new, age-appropriate books. Funds raised through Books for Teens will be distributed to libraries in communities with a high level of poverty, where teen services librarians will purchase and distribute new books, encourage teens to get library cards and provide teens with reading-focused events and activities.

“I'm very grateful for everything our members and colleagues are doing to help support the Books for Teens initiative,” said YALSA President Sarah Flowers. “Getting books into the hands of teens who wouldn't otherwise be able to have them is something we can all get behind, whether it’s over veggie burgers or vino.”

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos and audiobooks for teens. For more information about these awards or for additional lists of recommended reading, go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists. For more information about YALSA, please contact us via e-mail, yalsa@ala.org, or by phone, at 1 (800) 545-2433 ext. 4390.