Funder Believes in Building Strong Readers

The desire to develop strong readers was a driving force behind metro Detroit’s biggest used book and media sale, called Bookstock, which is a major source of funding for Oakland Literacy Council.

“If you can read, you can learn anything,” says Roz Blanck, who co-chairs Bookstock. “You become a better citizen. You learn about different people and cultures. You become more empathetic. Reading is just fundamental.”

Bookstock began 17 years ago as a small fundraiser for a single school, but it has grown into a huge weeklong sale. Currently, Oakland Literacy Council is one of 14 organizations that share in proceeds from the sale in exchange for providing volunteers who staff the sale. In addition to those 14 organizations, Bookstock makes grants to other nonprofits through its Bookstock Fund, Blanck says. To date, Bookstock has raised more than $2 million for educational and literacy programs throughout southeast Michigan.

For at least six months leading up to the sale, volunteers sort donations of 200,000 used books, DVDs, music CDs, audiobooks and computer games. The huge array of items draws bargain hunters and book lovers from across the state to the sale. The next sale will be April 7-14, 2019 at Laurel Park Place mall in Livonia. The Oakland Literacy Council is seeking volunteers for Friday evening and Saturday.  You can sign up here.

Bookstock is affiliated with the Jewish Community Relations Council, but is in the process of becoming an independent nonprofit, Blanck says.

Oakland Literacy Council is delighted to have Bookstock as a partner in our efforts to combat adult illiteracy and is grateful for Bookstock’s financial support, which totaled $6,800 in 2018.

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