In 2016, Richard Nix Sr. founded Books for Newborns. The nonprofit was designed to help inspire a love of reading and family bonding by providing underserved families with books for newborns to age 3. Ten years later, the volunteer-led organization delivers thousands of books each year. T&S spoke with Richard Nix Jr. to learn more about his father’s vision for the organization and his hopes for its future.
What is the mission of Books for Newborns?
The mission is to provide children from newborn to age 3 with age-appropriate books. We want to help parents and other family members share the importance of reading. Research shows that kids who have a head start in reading tend to do better in school and beyond. In a nutshell, we provide tools to help parents jump start their child’s education.
Your father founded Books for Newborns in 2016. What inspired him?
Growing up as an only child, my father was immediately attracted to reading. He realized that was one of the reasons he was so successful. When he retired, he set out to give back. It was important to him to instill the importance of reading in our youngest children.
How has the organization grown in the last 10 years?
Books for Newborns started as a grassroots effort, and my dad received support from so many people. Mike Hogan really stepped up to help grow the organization. The mission may not require a lot of money, but it necessitates a lot of effort. The nonprofit is 100% volunteer-based, so it really was the advocacy of my father and Mike that drove us. Now, we work with more than 40 regional partners in the St. Louis region and Illinois. This month, we’ll hit our 50,000th bookbag delivered.
Has the program evolved?
We also provide bookbags for older siblings. The doctors, hospitals and other organizations we partner with let us know there was a need. Another unique facet of the program is we offer bookbag options to reflect different pregnancy and delivery experiences. We’re very proud to help families better connect with the reading experience.
What do you hope for the future of Books for Newborns?
We want to continue to grow our programming and expand our impact throughout Missouri and Illinois. Dolly Parton was able to do great things with her Imagination Library. With her passing, it’s more important than ever to step up when it comes to childhood literacy. Our impact may be smaller, but we want to continue getting books into families’ homes.
How can people support Books for Newborns?
We’re always looking for volunteers. We need people to help fill and deliver bookbags. We also rely on community support for our budget. We raise about 80% of funds at our annual Booktoberfest event, and the rest comes from generous contributions.
For more information, visit booksfornewborns.com.
