Calgarians donate a book they’ve read and loved, and then another, and then another. Within 10 days at the Calgary Curling Club, where book donations are dropped off by readers and our Stuff-a-Truck event drivers, we receive thousands and thousands of gently used books across genres. Last spring, Calgary readers donated 200,000+ books and, during our 10-day sale in May, $544,000 was raised to help kids read.

Rotary Club of Calgary Downtown stewards the sale, and the club’s Early Childhood Literacy Committee (ECLC) recently met and determined how the sale’s proceeds will be distributed this school year as part of the sale’s mission to fund advocacy, book access and reading role model initiatives that ensure children can read at grade-level by Grade 3.

In addition to contributing to the growing operational costs of running the book sale, we’re excited to share the following Calgary Reads Big Book Sale proceed recipients:

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Kids Literacy Collective

$250,000

The Kids Literacy Collective is a network of educators, community leaders, program providers, and literacy changemakers building the conditions where families, schools and communities are supported to raise readers from birth to age 8.

Kids Literacy Collective is continuing the story started by organizations such as Calgary Reads, First 2000 Days Network, Left Unread and Early Childhood Literacy Network—because there’s still too much to do, and collaborating to ensure each child’s right to read is too important! On Oct. 4, the collective hosted netWORDing, a free professional development opportunity for educators; and on Oct. 5, the collective hosted a Pink Hat rally in support of childhood reading.

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Book Bank

$100,000

Book Bank books are distributed to agencies serving families, including CUPS Calgary.

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When children have books of their own to keep and re-read, they see themselves as readers, are exposed to more words and promotes healthy developmental milestones. In short, when children have books at home, they can get ready to learn and read when they start school.

And yet, 25 per cent of families say they don’t spend time reading and 6 per cent say they don’t own books[1].

That’s why Book Bank gets books to families that need them most, via a network of agencies, Little Red Reading House and Little Red Reading Van, and Little Free Libraries (LFL). Since it was started in 2015, Book Bank has distributed 166,547 books to children, engaged 125 agencies and stocked 80 Little Free Libraries across our city.

Now located at ShedPoint, Book Bank hosts monthly donation days to receive gently used children’s books, and volunteers have the rewarding job of sorting book donations to prepare holiday hamper contributions, agency drop-offs and LFL steward pickups headed to neighbourhoods throughout Calgary.

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Calgary Public Library Foundation

$30,000

Just like Rotary, Calgary Reads BigBook Sale and Kids Literacy Collective, the Calgary Public Library is proudly championing childhood literacy through access to books, spaces and programs that grow a love of reading.

As part of a new partnership with the Calgary Public Library Foundation, in 2026, the library will host our popular Stuff-a-Truck events at one library locations, inviting community members to drop off gently used books that will go to Calgary Reads Big Book Sale. Book sale activities will be promoted to 825,000+ library members.

In turn, the donation of $30,000 to the library foundation will support the library’s:

• New children’s book purchases
• Design and development of new and ongoing early literacy programs

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Evidence-based early childhood literacy initiatives via other Calgary Rotary Clubs

$35,000

As part of a volunteer/donation match initiative, in exchange for volunteering as a group, local Rotary clubs receive $5,000 to be donated to evidence-based early literacy initiatives in Calgary—growing a community of supporters and our reach in getting kids reading.

The ’25 sale also invested in the parking support provided by Rotary Chinook, which guided drivers in and out of the Calgary Curling Club parking lot and Lot 59.

Amidst road closures and additional traffic congestion, with their parking flow guidance, we created a safe, smooth experience for book sale shoppers—and we’re sure this helped to boost sales and our impact, as well as good neighbour relations.  

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Thank you to all of YOU for being a part of raising readers in our community! Your reading and love of books is making this all possible!

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1.Source: Logan et al. (2019). Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. Clarket al. (2021). National Literacy Trust (United Kingdom)].

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