Thanks to the Carney’s Kids Foundation
for creating this video
IN MEMORY OF BFN FOUNDER
RICHARD NIX, SR.
Founded by Richard Nix, Sr., Books for Newborns began in late 2016 with one man’s vision to give children born into poverty a chance to succeed.
He knew the power of books and reading could help set the course for success and believed that books were the perfect reminder in a hectic day to slow down and bond with your baby.
He knew someone had to step up and get things started. So he did.
Richard was recognized for his leadership and vision in 2019 when Mayor Lyda Krewson declared October 13th Richard L. Nix, Sr. Day in the City of St. Louis. Director of Public Safety and BFN Advisory Board member Jimmie Edwards did the honors.
Richard died in early September 2021, but his work continues through others he enlisted to pursue his dream.
We are a 100% volunteer non-profit organization that partners with five St. Louis area hospitals and a dozen local social service agencies to provide books and other reading materials to low-income mothers.
The original Books for Newborns program gives new mothers a book bag containing five age appropriate books and a Mother’s Day reading instruction card.
The recently launched Big Brothers Big Sisters program provides a book bag with three age-appropriate books to these newborns’ older siblings and to other economically-challenged older children receiving outpatient therapy or in the hospitals due to accident or sickness.
To the best of our knowledge, there are no other organizations in the United States doing exactly what we are doing, in the way that we do it, in service to low-income families with newborn children.
BOOKS FOR NEWBORNS MISSION
Create pathways to successful futures by sparking reading and bonding at birth.
OUR VISION
Provide a bookbag to every low-income mother in St. Louis
at the time of her child’s birth to create a norm of reading and bonding
throughout the child’s infancy & adolescent years.
THE GOALS OF BOOKS FOR NEWBORNS
- Encourage early reading to families who need it most.
- Get age-appropriate books into homes of low-income families.
- Show moms the value of reading to and bonding with their babies.
- Help build the base that enables economically-challenged children to succeed in school and in life by being able to read confidently at a 3rd grade level by the 3rd grade. (70% of them don’t today).