The Story...

I am Emily Conrad, founder of the Need to Read Book Club. Thank you for your interest and visit to our website.

In 2004, I created the NEED TO READ BOOK CLUB to encourage reading by giving new books to at-risk children in my community through a service project called "Reading for Others." I gathered together a group of my friends and we got sponsors for our reading to buy these books. That first year, twelve of us read over 24,000 pages, earned more than $2,400, and distributed more than 400 books to children at the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen. The smiles on the faces of the children made a difference in all of our lives. Four years later, the Club has distributed more than $13,000 worth of books and grown to include six chapters. Some of these chapters are among kids who were once recipients of past service projects. Now these kids have a chance to experience the joy of giving instead of just knowing what it feels like to receive. The joy of giving has the power to make a difference in all kids. And just think, it can be done through reading!

Encouraging reading among kids has become so important to me. I am fortunate to have so many people in my life who help me with this project. Together we are developing a program that can be shared with kids all over the country. It is a program that makes reading fun and proves to kids that reading truly makes a difference through our "Reading for Others" Service Project. "It's all about kids making a difference through reading!"

If you would like to support this program,

please click Get Involved!

Happy Reading!
Emily Conrad

Recent Club Accomplishments:

June 2008: Anchor House Chapter earned $816.07 through the "Reading for Others" Service Project. Click here to view a slide show of the club's book distribution at the Ellen Hines Smith Girls' Home.

May 2008: Holly Springs-Motlow Elementary School Chapter earned $907.67 through the "Reading for Others" Service Project. Click here to view a slide show of the club's book distribution at the Spartanburg Children's Shelter.

May 2008: Mabry Middle School Chapter earned $1,500.00 through the "Reading for Others" Service Project. Click here to view a slide show of the club's book distribution at the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen.

February 2008: Need to Read Book Club teamed up with the Spartanburg Repertory Company to encourage reading and classical music among at-risk kids. Local church choirs and choruses, area businesses and organizations as well as individuals donated money to buy books about classical composers and tickets to the SRC's children's opera, "Harmoonia," at the Chapman Cultural Center.

January 2008: A new chapter of the Need to Read Book Club was started at the Anchor House, long-term housing for teen girls, at the Spartanburg Children's Shelter.

November 2007: Under the direction of Valerie Barnet, Tina Bain, and Nancy Prosser the Whitlock Junior High School Chapter performed  a Reader's Theatre of A Christmas Carol at Spartanburg's Dickens of a Christmas.

Fall 2007, two more new chapters of the Need to Read Book Club were started at Mabry Middle School in Inman, SC and Whitlock Junior High School in Spartanburg.

July 2007: The Founding Club Chapter earned $481.60 through the "Giving Tree" fundraiser at Chick-fil-A Hillcrest. Click here to view a slide show of the club's Giving Tree presentation and book distribution to the Boys & Girls Club at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church summer camp.

May 2007: Holly Springs-Motlow Elementary School Chapter earned $1,334.00 through the "Reading for Others" Service Project. Click here to view a slide show of the club's book distribution at the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen.

May 2007: The Boys & Girls Club Chapter at Carver Junior High School earned $1,049.31 through the "Reading for Others" Service Project. Click here to view a slide show of the club's book distribution at the Spartanburg Children Shelter.

November/December 2006: Under the direction of Valerie Barnet, the Boys & Girls Club Chapter performed a Reader's Theatre of A Christmas Carol at Spartanburg's Dickens of a Christmas, Mary H. Wright Elementary School BGC, Summit Hills Retirement Community, and for Symtech's Christmas party at the Piedmont Club. Click here to view slide show of the Reader's Theatre presentation.

Fall 2006, two new chapters of the Need to Read Book Club were started. The first of these clubs includes 30 members at the Boys & Girls Club at Carver Junior High School in Spartanburg, S.C. The second of these clubs includes 15 sixth graders at Holly Springs-Motlow Elementary School in Campobello, S.C.

The SDS chapter of the NEED TO READ BOOK CLUB, now named the Spartanburg Founding Chapter, held the first "Summer Reading Bash" Book Fair at Barnes and Noble Booksellers June 2nd - 4th, 2006 to raise money for new summer reading books for children at the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen and Boys & Girls Club of the Upstate. The event was a huge success! Customers donated 162 new books valuing over $1,000. Another $1,600 was raised through a percentage of sales at the event. The SDS book club distributed over 600 books to children in need throughout the summer. To view "Summer Reading Bash" Photo Scrapbook click here!

In the spring of 2006, the SDS chapter of the book club raised over $2,000.00 and bought and distributed hundreds of books to children at the Soup Kitchen. Mayor Bill Barnet and Clifford the Big Red Dog helped distribute books, making the event extra special.

In the spring of 2005, The Spartanburg Day School chapter of the NEED TO READ BOOK CLUB raised over $2,400.00, bought over 600 books from Barnes & Noble Booksellers, and distributed them to children in need at The Spartanburg Soup Kitchen.