East Bay Children's Book Project Wins The Bay Citizen's 2011 Citizen of Tomorrow Award

Award Recognizes Emerging Community Leaders Working to Make a Difference in the Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO, May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Bay Citizen has announced the winner of its inaugural Citizen Tomorrow Award, which recognizes an individual or organization working to solve a local community challenge in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The winner, the East Bay Children's Book Project, was awarded a $5,000 grant for their efforts to build childhood literacy in the Bay Area.

A grassroots organization located in Oakland, CA with an annual budget of $10,000, the East Bay Children's Book Project (EBCBP) has given out more than half a million donated books since opening its doors in May 2005. With an entirely volunteer-run staff, the EBCBP collects and provides gently used books free of charge to professionals who work with children who have little or no access to them.

The Bay Citizen received almost 100 qualified applications for its Citizen of Tomorrow award.  The top five finalists—including the Free Farm Stand/Free Farm, Loved Twice, SF Refresh, Citizens for a Sustainable Point Molate, and the East Bay Children's Book Project—collectively received over 5,000 votes from Bay Area residents.

"Too many children in the Bay Area live in homes without books and attend schools and programs where books are in short supply," said Ann Katz, EBCBP's Director. "Our goal is to change that. Over the last five years we've grown exponentially, which has created a desperate need for a larger space to store and distribute our donated books.  This generous $5,000 grant from The Bay Citizen will make such a move possible."

"The East Bay Children's Book Project is a great example of how a group of individuals can take a creative and entrepreneurial approach to solving a local community challenge," said Bay Citizen CEO Lisa Frazier. "We are thrilled that they won our Citizen of Tomorrow award and that we can support their important work in the Bay Area community."

The winner was announced at The Bay Citizen's Citizen Celebration benefit on May 18, 2011 at Terra Gallery in San Francisco.  At the benefit, The Bay Citizen also announced the recipient of its Citizen of the Year award, notable Bay Area philanthropist William J. Patterson (in memoriam).

The East Bay Children's Book Project video for the award is available at http://youtu.be/zFktgk2YmBg.

ABOUT THE BAY CITIZEN:

The Bay Citizen is a nonprofit, nonpartisan member-supported news organization that provides in-depth original reporting on Bay Area issues including public policy, education, the arts and cultural affairs, health and science, the environment, and more.  The Bay Citizen's news can be found online at www.baycitizen.org as well as in print in The New York Times Bay Area report on Fridays and Sundays. For more information, please visit www.baycitizen.org.

ABOUT THE EAST BAY CHILDREN'S BOOK PROJECT:

The East Bay Children's Book Project was founded to help build literacy by putting books into the hands of children who have little or no access to them. Working through individuals and organizations who help children in need, the East Bay Children's Book Project has given out over 525,000 donated books since opening its doors in May 2005. Please visit www.eastbaychildrensbookproject.org for more information or to learn about ways to donate.

Media contacts:  

Rose Roll, The Bay Citizen

[email protected]

SOURCE The Bay Citizen