The 1-Million-Book Challenge

Here’s a numbers quiz for you!

Q. How long does it take to count to 1 million? 

A. Eleven-and-a-half days! That’s at the rate of one digit per second, not taking any breaks for eating or sleeping.

Q. How long does it take to collect and distribute 1 million books?

A. Storytime Village founder Prisca Barnes is about to find out!

Barnes, who recently brought Shaquille O'Neal to Wichita to promote literacy in underserved children, is on a new mission: She wants to get 1 million books into the hands of soon-to-be kindergarteners across the state of Kansas. But Barnes can't do it alone — she’s looking to the community for help. “It’s going to take a lot of support, a lot of effort, but we’re not going to give up until we reach the goal,” she said. 

Barnes’ very big goal was inspired by Shaq’s very big charge to children who came to see him during the Hoops 4 Literacy event at Koch Arena in September. “He had all the kids stand up and repeat after him: ‘I will believe in my dreams. I will become whatever I want to become,’ ” she said. “We want to take that a step further and challenge the adult community to help these children fulfill these goals, help them to fulfill those dreams and become whatever they want to be by supporting them in their early literacy journey.”

The campaign kicked off on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 29, and Barnes said it will continue until they reach their goal, however long that takes. Storytime Village is busy distributing promotional materials about the campaign and sharing data that shows the need. They’ll be asking community partners to give a one-time gift or pledge a recurring donation. “Once we have the resources to get the books, we’ll engage the communities in the distribution of the books and keep the community engaged in what’s happening,” she said. 

With headquarters in Wichita, Storytime Village serves children in Wichita, Topeka, Junction City, Kansas City (Kansas) and Lawrence. They plan to distribute the books through community events and through partnerships with organizations that can help identify families in their target demographic — organizations like public and private schools and outreach programs. 

They also hope that as distribution of the books begins, community members will step up in other ways, like volunteering to read to kids in their communities, or volunteering at the school their child or grandchild attends, or finding ways to support their neighborhood school. “It’s not just a monetary challenge,” Barnes said. “It’s a call to action to be engaged in the lives of our early learners.

“We’re calling for the community to say, ‘I will be the village to help them achieve their goals.’ ”

To learn more or to help with the 1 Million Books Challenge, visit storytimevillage.org.