Butterfly Books at Berkeley
Community Service/Nonprofit·Education
Butterfly Books is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing literature to socioeconomically disadvantaged children and children with medical needs. Members volunteer at read-aloud sessions, lead crafts like painting and bookmark-making, donate curated Book Bundles to partner organizations, and install and stock Little Libraries at schools and community centers across the DMV area. It is hands-on, community-facing work with real events and tangible outcomes for kids.
11,290
Books donated
$17,000
Total funds raised
38,684
Children served
4,954
Craft kits donated
71
Events held
45
Volunteers
Events They Host
Camp Read Aloud with the YMCA (Silver Spring, preschool)
Volunteers read outdoor tales and led paper plate butterfly crafts; each child received a book to take home.
NIH July Visit (Children's Inn at NIH)
Kids selected a book and played with slime and painted ceramics with volunteers.
Playpalooza series (Central Park, Bel Air, Bristow, Springfield, Vienna, Potomac Festival)
Butterfly Books ran a booth at each installment of the PlayPalooza summer festival series, distributing books, bookmarks, and activity sheets. Over 1,500 books donated at the Springfield event alone; 750 book bundles at the Potomac Festival.
SMYAL PrideCon
Butterfly team ran a booth with pride-themed coloring pages and books; donated over 200 books in celebration of Pride Month.
Boys and Girls Club Summer Camp Visit
Volunteers read books aloud and donated crafts and books to attendees.
Letters of Love with Kids Give Back
The Butterfly Team partnered with Kids Give Back to create letters of love and pillow making kits for donation, and ran a read-aloud.
Taylor Elementary Gala
Butterfly Books organized and supplied a book swap event, providing 60 book bundles for students.
Falls Church-McLean Children's Center Fall Festival
Butterfly Books donated over 100 pumpkins, books, and sticker sheets.
YMCA Welcoming Week
Donated over 550 books and bookmarks.
Back to School at the Children's Inn at NIH
Donated over 50 school supply kits and books to Children's Inn patients; volunteers led crafts and activities.
Halloween Read-Aloud and Craft Event with Children's Inn at NIH
Donated 30 books and Halloween goodies to the Children's Inn.
Backpack Buddies donation
Donated over 750 books to Backpack Buddies, which provides local students in need with backpacks filled with school supplies.
2025 Summer Series with Little Friends for Peace
Donated a book and a wooden craft to each attendee at the Little Friends for Peace summer camp.
Thingamajig festival
Donated over 250 hand-selected Book Bundles, each with a bookmark and special placeholder ribbon.