Winter will be upon us shortly and, this year, we are happy to mark it with a celebration of Twice Upon a Time’s (Twice) tenth anniversary of giving new and nearly new books to Ottawa’s children from birth to 12 years of age!
It is a momentous occasion as we celebrate a decade of supporting literacy and fostering a love of reading at home. We thought it timely to look back at where we started to see how far we have come and to look ahead as we enter our second decade.
Our Beginning
In 2014, Alexandra Yarrow, the founding President of Twice, and volunteers from diverse backgrounds came together via a shared passion for reading and a belief in the importance of early literacy. Inspired by a visit to the Children’s Book Bank in Toronto, Ontario, Alexandra, a librarian, decided that children in communities across Ottawa could also benefit from access to free books.
Volunteers initially set up a free “pop-up bookshop” in the lobby of Heartwood House in Ottawa’s Vanier neighbourhood. As Twice grew, more bookshops were set up in other locations in Ottawa, including the Taggart YMCA, the Overbrook Community Centre, and various BGC Ottawa clubhouses.
Today, in addition to these pop-ups, we also have self-serve bookshelf locations.
Notable Events and Milestones
We are happy to say that we have had many notable events and milestones since opening our doors. Our volunteers, community partners, funders, and donors have been key to our success.
We have expanded our pop-up locations, built and strengthened community partnerships, offered a more diverse range of books, and pivoted our service model during the pandemic. In 2023, we received a grant from the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund to assist with recovery from the impacts of Covid-19, including launching an assessment of our current service model with stakeholders to help develop new and more efficient ways to provide free books to Ottawa children.
We were recently honored for our work as one of just three local charities highlighted by the philanthropic 100 Women+ Who Care Ottawa Fundraising Group in February 2024. And this month, we launched our new website and a new look inspired by a decade of children discovering the uplifting joy of reading.
Our Impact
Since 2014, with the support of our donors, community partners, funders, and volunteers, Twice Upon a Time has provided over 50,000 books to local families!
The reaction from the kids and the communities we serve has been heartwarming. As one volunteer noted, “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.”
While you can find us regularly at our pop-up and self-serve bookshelf locations, you can also find us out in the community, collecting and distributing books at various partner special events such as the annual Overbrook Day, the Caring and Sharing Exchange, the Atlético Ottawa soccer game, Old Ottawa South Community Association Porch Sale, Movati Athletic Barrhaven Drums, and Salon du livre.
Looking Ahead: Growing with Your Support
As we celebrate our successes, we are also looking ahead to continue our mission to give free books to children from 0 to 12 years old in the hopes of growing young minds.
Join us on this journey of growth as we celebrate 10 years of nurturing the love of reading in Ottawa’s children. Cash donations are welcome at any time: a $100 cash donation allows us to purchase five new books.
Please visit our donations page, where you can find information on how you can donate or join other volunteers in giving your time to help us with a wide range of activities.