Spread the Word Nevada

Spread the Word Nevada is a great organization that I was fortunate to help out with. What volunteers had to do was give these donated books a little tender love and care so that they can be sorted and distributed to at-​risk children in the Las Vegas area.
The event is 2 hours long. They give a little spiel about who they are, what they do, and some basic instructions on how to put the books in the best possible condition. So we’re wiping the books down, removing stickers, flipping through the pages and taping ripped pages and erasing marks here and there. Word to the wise, if it’s something you wouldn’t want as a gift, toss it. Nobody wants sloppy seconds or books past its prime. Also no animé books or adult fiction!
It’s a pretty fun event! You get a trip down memory lane sorting through all the books of your childhood and get an occasional good laugh when you see books that just don’t belong. Definitely a fun event if you’re looking to give back to the community.

What a great cause!!! I volunteered to clean books with the Unilocalers during Unilocal Helps month and I think this is just such a great organization. While it was pretty cool and nostalgic to see some of the books I’ve read as a kid, it was nice knowing that those books would be going back into the system for kids to read today. And while this particular book cleaning was a Unilocal organized event, Spread the Word does regular book cleanings as well so it doesn’t have to be a one time thing.

When Unilocal Helps rolled around I realized I do not volunteer enough.
So I was happy to help out at Spread the Word.
Huge warehouse full of boxes of books for the children of Las Vegas, but they are always in need of more books. We felt like we cleaned tons of books, but there was not much of a dent made in the boxes that were stacked around us. We even got to help count and rebox books. It was fun seeing books we grew up with and surprised at some of the newer selections of books available. The time flew by chatting with fellow Unilocalers. We never realized our time was up til we looked up and almost everyone was gone!
If someone wishes to volunteer but may have physical limitations, this is a perfect organization to help out at. You can sit at your table of books surrounded by your cleaning supplies ans start helping.

Whether you’re a big ol’ group or a single peep looking to give back, Spread The Word has something for you to do. The organization works to get books to children within Southern Nevada’s at-​risk, low income communities and to promote literacy. How do you help? By cleaning donated books! You may wonder why a book needs cleaning, but trust me, a book can get quite dirty.
During Unilocal Helps I was searching for organizations that could host a group of volunteers, and Spread The Word was eager to organize a Book Cleaning Party for 25 – 30 volunteers. The process was simple; they were open to a weekend morning, and the volunteer day was fun. Perusing children’s books is unexpectedly entertaining and at times educational. For example, I learned all about wildlife scat. Who knew that the poop of animals varies according to the season? Amazing.
If you’re an individual, they host weekly book cleanings, just give them a call to find out when and where.
They are also in need of books, so if you have some children’s books you are looking to donate or are up for hosting a book drive, this is a spot that could use the donations!
Now, go Unilocal help!

Je vous remercie de votre aide rapide!
A non-​profit organization that distributes books to at-​risk and low income communities. On the day I showed up during a special Unilocal Helps Month we cleaned books as a way to contribute to the cause. I sat on a table consisted with people I knew and the other half I have never met before. It was good to make new friends and reminisce on the books we loved to read as children!
They usually have these opportunities on Monday and Wednesday nights. If you would like to volunteer like we did just give them a call (702−564−7809). I don’t know if they have other events or methods of helping out but do call them and find out!
So remember, Je vous remercie de votre aide rapide! Which means, «A Book is a gift you can open again and again.» — Garrison Keillor.

I would’ve loved to have participated in all the Unilocal Helps charity events but this was the only one that fit my work schedule. Misti definitely picked a great cause to get our Unilocal volunteer muscle involved with as we cleaned preowned children’s books to be given to low income areas and possibly to the «Derek Zoolander Center For Children Who Can’t Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too».
They supplied us with everything we needed to make sure the books looked as pristine as possible. My wife and I were happy to have helped and hope to do more in the future.
Some random things I learned/​realized while cleaning with Holly, Paolo, Lisa and Eric:
— A children’s dictionary does not contain four letter words or anything sex related
— I didn’t realize Barbie books were so diverse. She’s fighting aliens, going to Japan and coaching soccer. The lengths Mattel will go in order to make her more appealing to the majority of people who think she’s terrible for little girls.
— I am thankful for all the literature I was enriched with as a crazy kid with a bowl cut. Hopefully the effort we put in that Sunday morning will enrich others.

I second everything Paolo said. We had a very voracious table… of readers and cleaners. Eric was very efficient at bringing us box after box of great books to clean for kids. Our table of Paolo D., Holly C., Ayumi K., Philip T., Eric R. and I was very animated and we had a great time chatting away and learning our strengths in handling books. Holly C. is masterful at taking stickers off (even without goo gone… oooh!)
I got a lot of moose books which was funny. We also rejected a box of adult books (Michael Crichton, John Grisham) in favor of handling more children’s books. All of us liked the idea of giving some gently used workbooks to teachers so they can use the rest of the pages inside. Everyone was so nice. We also were honored to have such a nice assortment of refreshments from both Spread the Word and Fresh and Easy. This was a great way to help out. We really admire what this organization is about and what it does for kids and other readers!
Addendum post-​Philip T.‘s review: I did enjoy reading the Barbie and the Japanese tea ceremony on her trip to Kyoto story to Ayumi, though she probably was less than amused. The staging of Barbie in a kimono on the tatami mat was rather interesting during show and tell.

Awesome organization with friendly folks. I joined a bunch of Unilocalers yesterday at their warehouse on 780 W Lake Mead Pkwy in Henderson (corner 4^th street across from Fiesta). They gave us the tools to sort through used children’s books and clean them of any markings, dirt, labels, etc. It looks like they could use more help, so if you’ve been looking for a worthy and fun volunteer opportunity, this is it. Like their web site says, books are magical. Be a kid again as you sort through childhood classics and pass them on to a new generation.