Books From The Heart® Book Distributions!

• The Books From The Heart® program distributed its 1 millionth book in 2006!
• Since this program began, The Heart of America Foundation® has distributed nearly 450,000 books in the greater Washington region alone.
• Nationally, the program has distributed more than 1.25 million books since its inception! 

If your school would like to receive books through this program, register here or email books@heartofamerica.org. For more information on donating books or conducting a book drive, contact books@heartofamerica.org or download a book drive manual.

2007 Christopher Reeve Award Recipient Selected: Niharika Jain
Niharika's story:

When Niharika was only 13 years old, she toured the local YWCA Family Violence Shelter as part of a social studies project. Stricken by the dilapidated condition of the shelter, her simple project turned into a long-term campaign to raise awareness of domestic violence and to help battered women and children. She began by organizing a cleaning supplies drive at her middle school, where she collected over 300 supplies for the YWCA Family Violence Shelter. Motivated to get other youth involved, Niharika continued to raise awareness about domestic violence in high school. Niharika is the founder of the YWCA Youth Board, an organization of high school girls that initiates service projects to help domestic violence victims.

Spreading Awareness:
Since January 2006, Niharika has led monthly meetings for the 35 member Youth Board and has initiated numerous service projects such as collecting over 300 travel bags for domestic violence victims and organizing a no cost self-defense class for local girls. Niharika is also the founder of GUTS (Generation United to Succeed), a youth leadership summit for local high school students in the Shreveport area. At the first annual event, 200 students participated in seminars on leadership, diversity, and domestic violence. In addition, she organized a Youth Leadership Workshop to reach out to middle school students as well.

Making a difference:
Niharika is currently a senior at Caddo Parish Magnet High School. For the past five years, she has championed her cause by providing domestic violence awareness through presentations to schools, civic and professional groups, and local organizations. In the process, she has increased teen volunteerism and leadership and inspired hundreds of her peers to believe in their ability to make a difference. Niharika hopes that through her volunteer work, she will make a difference in the life of at least one person.

Maralyn Eisenstodt Scholarships Awarded
The review committee for the Maralyn Eisenstodt Scholarship has selected the scholarship awardee for 2007. The scholarship will be given to Christopher R. Gossett of Washington, DC. The Maralyn Eisenstodt Scholarship Fund was established in memory of Joan Eisenstodt's mother, and supports continuing education for individuals in the meeting planning and hospitality industry. For more information on the scholarship and how to apply, visit the Scholarship Page.

2007 Gee Whiz Kids Scholarships Awarded
The Gee Whiz Kid Award is presented to children age 12 and under who exemplify the value of service in America. Each Gee Whiz Kids Award recipient receives an award certificate and an educational scholarship donated by Marilyn Perlyn, author, and Amanda Perlyn, illustrator, of The Biggest And Brightest Light.

Raven Asay, Age 12 First Place Winner Since her adoption at age seven, Raven has used her challenging past and foster care experiences to help create a better life for children in the foster system. Last Christmas her annual toy drive collected over 1,500 gifts to benefit foster children. Raven’s newest project called Scrapbook Memories Intended to Lift Esteem and Spirits (S.M.I.L.E.S.) provides workshops and materials for foster children in her area to create scrapbooks so that they can keep a record of their lives as they grow up, despite moving from home to home. Raven is also the author and co-author of 10 books that educate foster children on their legal rights. She shares her personal experiences, offers advice, provides useful information and, most importantly, a sense of hope for children in the system. Social workers and mental health providers have distributed these books in the Las Vegas area and throughout the U.S. Raven hopes that these books will help foster children feel empowered to take a more active part in decisions made about their future. Calista Pierce, Age 8 Second Place Winner Last year when Crawford County Special Olympics lost its largest fundraising event and was in danger of not being able to send athletes to competitions, Calista decided to take action. Inspired by her brother who has been a Special Olympics athlete since 2005, Calista knows first hand how important the competition is to him and how much he enjoys the program. In December 2006 she created “Calista Cares” and has spent over 250 hours making and selling crafts to raise money for the program. She also runs lemonade stands and bake sales to raise additional funds and has created her own website in hope of spreading word about Crawford County Special Olympics. So far Calista has raised $1,306 towards her goal of $3,000 to donate to the program. However, her ultimate goal is to see her brother and many other Special Olympics athletes continue to be able to compete in the sports that they enjoy. Elissa Redmiles, Age 12 Third Place Winner Inspired by a morning news segment about less fortunate moms and their newborn children, Elissa founded “The Baby Blanket Project” at the tender age of five. She started by creating gender-based gift packages filled with a blanket, book, bib, bottle, socks, pacifier, and a stuffed animal or rattle. The packages, financed by Elissa’s allowances and monetary donations she sought, were delivered to organizations and hospitals that serve impoverished pregnant women and mothers with infants. Seven years later, Elissa still remains passionate to her project, which is now called “The Baby Blanket Project – A Foundation from the Heart.” She has revised her original fundraising letter as she has matured and enlisted teachers to help her expand the project outside the U.S. Elissa also solicited the help of a Washington, DC law firm that offered to prepare the paper work pro bono for her project to become an official 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. To date, Elissa has raised nearly $5,000 and delivered approximately 400 packages to organizations in the U.S. and abroad. Coree Betron, Age 9 Honorable Mention When her friend Marissa was diagnosed with Leukemia last year, Coree, then age eight, took the initiative to organize a card making activity in her classroom to cheer her up. Coree was one of the few allowed to see Marissa in the hospital and she regularly visited, bringing along cards, games and movies to share. When Marissa lost her hair due to treatments, Coree was compelled to do something more. She decided to grow her hair so she could donate ten inches of it to Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from medical hair loss. Vincea Locklear, Age 7 Honorable Mention Honor roll student Vincea Locklear is the consummate volunteer role model for children and adults alike. Among her activities, she has saved money to donate to Feed the Children and gives toys to needy children at Christmas. This animal lover also cares for a total of eight rescue dogs and donates her allowance to run ads in a local magazine to garner awareness and support for abandoned animals. Amazingly, Vincea also saved her grandmother’s life during an emergency by contacting 911 and treating her until medics arrived on the scene.

Volunteer Opportunities

Purchase of These Books Supports the Heart of America Foundation® and Other Charitable Organizations
These books support the Heart of America Foundation’s mission—your support of these authors and their products will benefit our mission and our programs.

Who would mortgage his home to save a few hundred children he had never met, put planes in the air on a mercy flight into Soviet territory without a landing permit, and send tankers full of chocolate to children abroad? Bob Macauley, founder of AmeriCares, is profiled in His Name Is Today, the newest book by Bill Halamandaris. Purchase now

Marilyn Perlyn is the author of The Biggest and Brightest Light, a true story illustrated by her daughter Amanda. Filled with splendid illustrations and inspirational ideas for children, this heartwarming true story will give children a real understanding of the feelings that come from giving. A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to The Heart of America Foundation®. Order Marilyn's book

Chad Foster is a professional speaker and author of the bestselling Teenagers Preparing for the Real World. Chad is one of America’s most sought after motivational speakers, reaching hundreds of thousands of students and educators each year through his live presentations, books, and videos. He also serves as a member of the Heart of America Foundation’s Executive Advisory Board, and participates in our Speaking From The Heart™ program. Dear God, a nationally acclaimed children’s board book, is co-authored by Chad and his wife, Paige. This unique combination of prayer and education is the perfect gift for children ages 6 months to 6 years. All profits from the sale of Dear God, will be donated to charity, including the Heart of America Foundation’s youth programs. Order Chad’s book

This new release by Wally Amos, Chip & Cookie: No More Chocolate Chips, is the first adventure for two characters created by Wally Amos. Chip and Cookie are two lovable, chocolate chip cookie plush character dolls. They elevate the warmth, love and positive feelings children of all ages associate with chocolate chip cookies into a metaphor for all that's good about life. Order Chip & Cookie: No More Chocolate Chips