We are excited to announce a campaign to purchase
a new, all-accessible, A.D.A.-compliant Big Red Reading Bus! Our current book bus program will add a second vehicle to ensure everyone can comfortably board the mobile service and shop for their books. Two book buses mean increased reach to children, partner sites, and books! Join us to make this happen for our community and help us continue providing free literacy experiences.
What is the Book Bus?
The Book Bus is a free book fair on wheels gives kids that new book feeling. It has thousands of children's books for kids to select from. Our program provides a magical experience for children to board the Bus and choose a book reflecting their identities. Books that they can keep forever to enjoy, read, and grow their own home library. The impact of the Bus on literacy and our community is in providing high-quality books to children in their setting, excitement, and engagement of the Bus experience; kids leave proud of their new books and want to read them immediately.
The program reaches thousands of children, families, and educators. Our partners schedule the Book Bus for community and school events, parties, and programming. Since 2019, we've seen how efficient the Bus is in moving thousands of books while allowing us to engage with the community in their neighborhood, school, community center, or event. Before having our first Bus, we had to rely on using employee vehicles, folding tables, and hauling boxes of books.
Our MRP team curates the book selection to the day's bus schedule to ensure reader delight and shopper satisfaction; Age, genre, prior requests, and languages, are all considered. When the Bus arrives, children know this is a unique space designed for them, from the outside graphics to the interior space. They often do not have much say in the books they read, so this experience where they make their own choices - is memorable for them. Children take pride in selecting their books, are more likely to read them, and are excited to take them home to share with friends and family, all while building their home library.
BOOKS WERE GIVEN TO KIDS IN 2022, AN ALL TIME RECORD FOR MRP
110,730
THE BIG RED READING BUS HELPED US REACH
75K
KIDS IN 2022
THE BIG RED READING BUS SERVED
COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN 2022
215
Why a second Bus?
Everyone should feel welcome, so accessibility is at the top of our list. The new vehicle will have a lift gate and large door with steps lowered to the ground and a handrail for safe access by all. The aisle of the Bus will be broader and longer, allowing anyone to shop for books.
Knowledge. Understanding. Equipment.
Using what we know about the first Bus, we looked at a new design that will expand capacity for holding triple the amount of books; a larger Bus also means we can travel farther out with fewer return trips to the MRP Book Center for restocking.
Adding a comprehensive climate-control system will allow us to extend our scheduled Bus Program to serve our community year-round, rain, snow, or shine! An awning mounted on the outside of the Bus will provide cover from the elements, so kids and team members can comfortably take part in fun activities in the shade.
MRP Bus Program in 2024
We will continue to run our first Bus, assigning it to serve more centrally-located sites, smaller group events, and deliveries. The second Bus will be at many programming sites, events, and public locations, helping ignite a love for reading and growing book ownership.
BECOME A BUS SPONSOR
If you'd like to join other literacy champions like Madison Community Foundation and American Girl in supporting the expansion of our bus program, we have several sponsorship levels. Please do reach out to us at rowan@madisonreadingproject.com with your questions!
PLATINUM LEVEL
$50,000
GOLD LEVEL
$25,000-$50,000
SILVER LEVEL
$10,000-$25,000
BRONZE LEVEL
Up to $10,000
THE BUS IN ACTION
Thank you for your contribution to Bayview’s community picnic! The book selection you brought was so diverse and thoughtfully curated and I think the children really enjoyed being able to choose their own books. I am excited to use the books you left over for us in After School or to distribute to families in the neighborhood.
– Lisa King, Bayview Foundation
