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Twice Upon a Time releases its 2023 Annual Report
Written by: Stephanie Wilson
Twice Upon a Time’s 2023 Annual Report is now available! While we invite you to read the full report, we’ve outlined the highlights of our 2023 activities and achievements below.
2023 by the numbers
In 2023, thanks to the generosity of our financial and book donors, grant funders, and partners, we received over $28,000 and acquired over 9,700 books (donations and purchases). With these resources and the tireless efforts of our volunteers, we distributed nearly 5,700 books to children in Ottawa, bringing the total number of books given away since Twice Upon a Time was created to over 52,000!Working with our partners
Community is essential to us. Without our supporters and partners in Ottawa, Twice Upon a Time could not fulfill its mission of giving free books to children. Specifically, we are deeply grateful to our community partners, bookstore partners, funders, donors, and our volunteers.
Out in the community
While you can find us regularly at our pop-up and self-serve bookshelf locations, you can also find us collecting and distributing books in the community at partner events such as these in 2023:
- BGC Ottawa Annual Community BBQ along with the YMCA, the Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre, the Ottawa Police, Ottawa Public Health, and the Ottawa Food Bank. We met with over 80 children and families and provided almost 100 books to young readers.
- The Caring and Sharing Exchange Backpack Program where we provided over 400 books to help equip students for the new school year.
Making a difference
We continued to hear about the positive impact Twice Upon a Time is having in the community. For example, a clinical coordinator of social pediatrics at the Vanier Community Services Centre had this to say about an eight-year-old boy she met:
“It was like the book he chose jumped off the shelf into his small hands. If the beaming smile on his face is any indication, he was thrilled with his choice!”
One of our volunteers who has been with us since 2018, remarked, “It was really rewarding to see the enthusiasm from the kids when they found something to read and their parent’s pride as they witnessed their child’s reading develop.”
Moments like these are priceless!
Moving forward
As we celebrate 10 years of Twice Upon a Time in 2024, we are busy working with our partners, donors, and volunteers to continue giving free books to kids and promoting the love of reading in the community.
It is never too late to donate: we accept donations throughout the year. Visit our donations page for more information on how you can donate or join other volunteers.
To receive ongoing news on our projects, programs, progress, and successes, sign up for email updates here.
