Bozeman-based nonprofit Hopa Mountain and the Country Bookshelf are hosting a book drive from now until the end of December in order to celebrate a growing global initiative built around the importance of collaboration, kindness, and giving back. In the middle of the busy holiday season, after the wave of gratitude shared on Thanksgiving and the beginning of the hectic gift-focused rush that comes after, falls “Giving Tuesday.” December 1 marks the fourth annual Giving Tuesday, a national and global day of giving back. With gestures of philanthropy large and small, businesses, nonprofits, families, and individuals of all ages will come together to give back and, through social media, become part of a much bigger story of generosity this season.
“Donating new books or your family’s gently loved favorites is a wonderful way for people to participate in Giving Tuesday,” said Bonnie Sachatello-Sawyer, executive director of Hopa Mountain. “High quality books provide local families with a special opportunity to bond with their children and help improve their chances for success in school, good health, and lifelong happiness.”
A vast body of research has proven the many benefits of exposure to language—through talking, singing, and reading—on the developing brains of babies and children. In order to give children across Montana access to high-quality reading materials this holiday season, you can purchase or drop off books at Country Bookshelf on Main Street in downtown Bozeman, at Hopa Mountain’s office located at 234 E. Babcock St, or call 406-586-2455 to arrange for the books to be picked up by Hopa Mountain staff.
Participants in the Giving Tuesday movement are encouraged to share their stories through social media using the hashtag #GivingTuesday in order to encourage others and foster a culture of philanthropy both within communities and beyond. More ideas and resources for Giving Tuesday are available at www.givingtuesday.org. To learn more about Hopa Mountain’s initiatives, please visit www.hopamountain.org.
Hopa Mountain invests in citizen leaders who are working to improve education, ecological health, and economic development in their home towns.
