About

Making books a birthright in Berkeley & beyond since 2015

We provide age-appropriate books by mail monthly to East Bay children age 0 to 5th birthday who live in our service areas of Berkeley+Emeryville and Richmond+San Pablo.

The BBBP is a Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Partner. We enroll children to receive their quality books. Parents/Gaurdians select either English or Bilingual Spanish-English books and can switch at any time.

We pay Imagination Library (IL) for books mailed to children we enroll in our IL Programs along with all other costs of our nonprofit organization.

We believe Literacy is a civil right.

Frequent time spent with books, from the start, is the best way to ensure an infant will be Ready for school when the start Kindergarten. Copious research spanning decades and many nations shows that ownership of books from birth predicts Kindergarten Readiness more accurately and reliably than any other metric.

Literacy is necessary for thriving in the Information Age we live in. Without it, a person is functionally handicapped, unable to fully access and participate in and shape the systems, movements,& institutions of our world. We want all children to grow up able to fully participate in shaping our society, their futures.

Imagination Library is a low-barrier to program — a child qualifies for based only on their age and home address. (we love that

Plus! Higher Kindergarten Readiness for reduce the need for our public schools to provide expensive remedial programs. Imagination Library is a lot less expensive, more effective, and LOT more fun:)

By providing well selected, age appropriate, quality books by mail to children we’re cultivating the Joy of book ownership and of reading, democratizing literacy

Board of Directors

  • Seena Hawley

    Executive Director & Secretary

    Seena taught elementary school in San Jose before returning to her hometown of Berkeley in 2007 aiming to teach middle school Language Arts. But, along the way events, research, interests and children she met on the Berkeley Unified school buses she drove changed her path and led her to found The BBBP.

    The BBBP was officially formed in 2012, gained 501(c)(3) status in 2013 and launched its Imagination Library Program in 2015.

  • Sarah Davis

    President & Treasurer

    Raised in Berkeley, Sarah is retired from her position as Project Manager at UC Davis. She and her husband, a retired organic farmer, live in Davis where they raised two sons. Sarah has a long history of civic engagement and work in her communities, in Davis and in Berkeley. She serves on the Board of Camp Unalayee, a nonprofit wilderness summer camp serving youth age 10 to 17.

  • Tom Buoye

    Director

    Tom adopted Berkeley as his hometown when he attended UCB. After studying Engineering, he spent his career at UCB and Autodesk. Since the 1970s he has worked with Camp Unalayee in various capacitities, including serving on their Board of Directors. He is active in Berkeley's bicycling community.

  • Jessica Wheelis

    Board Member

    Jessica is a former Oakland Public Schools K-1 teacher. She created and ran children’s activities at our pre-Covid events at San Pablo Park in Berkeley.

    Jessica holds a Masters of Science in Education and a California Teacher's Credential.

  • Dr. Robin Winokur

    Board Member

    Dr. Winokur is the co-founder and practitioner at Kiwi Pediatrics Berkeley. She came to California from Ohio via Stanford University and Michigan Medical School. In 1985 she and Dr. David Kittams formed a business partnership and founded Kiwi Pediatrics on Alcatraz Ave, later adding an office on San Pablo near the Albany border. Her work practicing and advocating for quality care, access to resources, and healthy communities for all children benefits uncountable families, and wins awards.

  • Jennifer Larsh

    Board Member

    Jennifer “Jenn” Larsh has a long history of advocacy for the health and vigor of her community, especially it’s children. She spent many years working with an after-school learning program at the South Berkeley YMCA, and went on to become Berkeley YMCA’s Membership Services Coordinator. She left the YMCA to pursue professional opportunities and a Master’s Degree. She has been an advisor to and advocate for The BBBP from its infancy.

Board Advisors & constant supporters

  • Fund Development Advisor

    Helen works to develop new sources of funding and maintain existing ones, both individual and institutional. A long-time Berkeley resident, she is retired from a career in commercial bank lending and relationship management. We are fortunate she has chosen to include The BBBP in her ongoing work and support for organizations that benefit our communities.

  • Webmaster, logo-master, LONG time recurring donor.

    Justin has been with The BBBP since before it was named. He designed our logo way back when. Since 2015 he’s been in charge of all things Tech-y and Web-based. We rely on him for advice, planning, and implementation as well as urgent requests for help.

What Is Imagination Library, and what is the BBBP’s relationship to it?

Imagination Library (IL) provides the people, systems, and infrastructure that get the books ordered, packaged and mailed every month to children we enroll in the IL Program. The BBBP is anIL Partner. Like all Partners, define our own IL Service Areas, and pay IL monthly invoices for postage and books mailed to children we enroll. The BBBP runs two IL Programs, one serves Berkeley and Emeryville, the other Richmond+San Pablo. Once an IL Program’s boundary lines are set, all children under age 5 living inside that area are eligible to enroll, base only on their home address and birthdate. The BBBP is a stand-alone 501(c)3 nonprofit supported by local donors and grantmakers. We do our own fundraising, outreach, administration, & management. When a child is enrolled books are mailed monthly beginning the second month after enrollment until their 5th birthday month. Titles sent are age-based. Book lists are updated annually by an IL Team. Either English or Bilingual English & Spanish books are selected when enrolling; selection can be changed by contacting us.

¿Qué es la Biblioteca de la Imaginación y cuál es la relación del BBBP con ella? La Biblioteca de la Imaginación (IL) proporciona el personal, los sistemas y la infraestructura necesarios para solicitar, empaquetar y enviar mensualmente los libros a los niños que inscribimos en el Programa de IL. El BBBP es un Socio de IL. Al igual que todos los Socios, definimos nuestras propias Áreas de Servicio de IL y pagamos las facturas mensuales de IL por el envío y los libros que enviamos a los niños que inscribimos. El BBBP gestiona dos Programas de IL: uno atiende a Berkeley y Emeryville, y el otro a Richmond y San Pablo. Una vez que se establecen los límites de un Programa de IL, todos los niños menores de 5 años que viven dentro de esa área pueden inscribirse, basándose únicamente en su domicilio y fecha de nacimiento. El BBBP es una organización sin fines de lucro 501(c)3 independiente, financiada por donantes y donantes locales. Nos encargamos de la recaudación de fondos, la difusión, la administración y la gestión. Cuando un niño se inscribe, se envían libros por correo mensualmente desde el segundo mes posterior a la inscripción hasta el mes de su quinto cumpleaños. Los títulos enviados se basan en la edad. Un equipo de IL actualiza anualmente las listas de libros. Al inscribirse, se seleccionan libros en inglés o bilingües inglés y español; puede cambiar la selección contactándonos.

Some of our Funders:

  • Bernard E. & Alba Witkin Charitable Foundation

  • Mechanics Bank

  • Chamberlin Education Foundation Richmond, CA

  • In Dulci Jubilo, Inc.

  • The Barrios Trust; Warren Wilson, Founder

  • the James Joseph Ford Foundation

  • Share the Spirit East Bay

  • An Anonymous California Family Foundation

  • EVCharge4U Berkeley

  • A Family Fund・San Francisco Foundation

  • The BBBP Board of Directors

  • Berkeley Police Association

  • Lifelong Medical Heart 2 Heart Program

  • The Friendship Fund

In Memoriam

Miriam Hawley

Founding board member, first president and generous supporter

Miriam (“Mim”)’s civic engagement in and around Berkeley is remembered by many. Her insightful work created impacts that continue to positively affect countless East Bay transit riders and young residents, including children receiving books thru The BBBP. Without her support, The BBBP would not have come to be. She is sorely missed.

She was a remarkable and wise woman who knew when to nudge and nurture, when to firmly demand, and importantly, how to create budgets aimed at nurturing a better future for all of us.

She was known in Berkeley City politics for being a consensus builder, for bridging divides between beings with seemingly intractable differences. Even intergalactic ones, apparently. There is a rememberance in Berkeleyside.