MIDSOUTH GIVES BACK
NEW THIS YEAR! Instead of hosting a book donation drive during our conference, the conference planning committee is launching a new program to host an annual Midsouth Gives Back campaign in memory of Linda Ragsdale, a longtime Midsouth member and supporter who passed away after our last in-person conference. Each year, the Midsouth will select a community group, library or nonprofit working within Kentucky or Tennessee (or both!) to improve literacy around our region, or in support of other initiatives that align with SCBWI’s mission to put quality books into the hands of kids and teens.
The beneficiary of this year’s campaign will be the Appalachian Literacy Initiative, a nonprofit organization (co-founded by the Midsouth’s own Kimberly Brubaker Bradley) that has been working to rebuild library collections in the wake of Hurricane Helene and other efforts that put books into the hands of students.
ABOUT THE APPALACHIAN LITERACY INITIATIVE
Appalachian Literacy Initiative (ALI, EIN 82-4755919) was founded in 2018 to combat the social justice inequality that, nationwide, and primarily due to limited access to books, low-income students are two and a half times less likely to read proficiently than their higher-income classmates. We give new, free, high-quality and age-appropriate children’s books to low-income students throughout the Appalachian region, working mostly through schools, but also through aftercare programs, summer feeding sites, and community free book fairs. In 2024-2025, our last completed school year, we gave out over 60,000 books and enrolled 12,000 students across 73 schools in our primary program.
We also worked with four elementary schools whose communities were devastated by Hurricane Helene, bringing free book fairs to the schools so that every student could pick out new books to keep, and giving each school library a grant for new books for their collection.
– Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Director and Co-Founder
Read more about ALI HERE.
WAYS YOU CAN GIVE
Giving to this campaign is optional and not does not affect your ability to attend the conference.
- At any time between now and the conclusion of the conference, use the following direct link to donate to ALI via PayPal: Donate with PayPal Giving Fund. The Midsouth will not see or handle these direct donations.
- At any time between now and the conclusion of the conference, scan the QR code below to donate directly to ALI. The Midsouth will not see or handle these direct donations.
- During the conference, a display table will be on site with more information about the Appalachian Literacy Initiative, along with a QR code you can scan to donate directly to the organization in the amount of your choosing. The Midsouth will not see or handle these direct donations.
NOTE: If donors contribute through PayPal, they will need to make sure they include their email address and/or mailing address in order to receive a tax letter. Donors that contribute under $250 will receive an acknowledgement/thank you letter - they will still need to provide their email/mailing address.
ABOUT KIMBERLY BRUBAKER BRADLEY
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley first joined "SCBW" (as it was then) in 1987, when, as a sophomore in college, she started attending monthly meetings held by none other than Jane Yolen in the basement of the library of Hatfield, Massachusetts. A two-time Newbery Honoree and #1 NYT bestselling author, she's also had the privilege of judging SCBWI's Golden Kite Awards. Her 21st book, PHOENIX, will be published in March 2026.