After becoming an empty nester, Brenda Polivka was looking for volunteer opportunities in Northwest Houston that focused on children's literacy when she found there were no local nonprofits serving this specific area.
“During this time, the national media began reporting on a drop in reading proficiency across the country due to the aftereffects of the pandemic. It seemed like the time was right to focus on literacy,” said Brenda Polivka, president and founder of Barkley’s Bookshelf.
When Polivka decided to start a literacy nonprofit of her own, she reached out to four friends – all sustainer members of the National Charity League, Inc. along with Polivka. She asked them to sit on the founding board to which they all happily agreed.
“There wasn't one person that I had to convince or twist their arms,” Polivka said. “We all knew there was a need for literacy nonprofit in this area.”
Barkley’s Bookshelf was officially founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in March 2022.
“All five of the ladies who started this organization have a love of reading and a love of literacy, so we jumped in with both feet, and here we are,” she said.
Their vision is simple – every child is a reader, and every child is a book owner. Polivka described her personal connection to this mission, “I have always loved reading, especially as a child. I instilled the love of reading in my children and now in my grandson too,” she said. “Reading is a way to relax, to learn and to see the world is a much bigger place than your surroundings.”
Barkley’s Bookshelf celebrated its two-year anniversary in March. Polivka reflected on the organization’s greatest accomplishment to date: the very first book fair hosted at the Cy-Fair Helping Hands “Back to School Bash” in August 2022.
As a new organization, Polivka knew being asked to participate in this event was a great opportunity to begin the work of Barkley’s Bookshelf. The organization successfully distributed 576 free books to students ranging from preschool to high school. “That very first event, we knew we had hit on something special – that we were doing something that no one else in the community was doing,” Polivka said.
Since then, the organization has distributed over 8,000 free books to children who lack reading resources through partnerships with other local nonprofits and Title I schools. “For most of us, buying books or going to the library is the norm, but that's not the case for the children Barkley's Bookshelf serves,” she said. “We are bringing book fairs to children who, in many cases, have not had that opportunity.”
The organization also partners with local businesses and community organizations that want to host book drives on behalf of Barkley’s Bookshelf, accepting donations of new and like-new children's books appropriate for age groups kindergarten through 5th grade. “We are assisting these children in building personal libraries which offer the ability to read on the weekends, during school holidays and the summer which is so important in improving reading skills,” Polivka said.
In the future, Polivka hopes to expand the organization's Young Ambassadors Program with new members. The program is open to high school and college-aged students, and these ambassadors will assist with book drives, aid with programming and promote literacy among their age group.
The work of Barkley’s Bookshelf strives to empower children through literacy, making an impact on the rest of their lives.
“Literacy is the key to education, and it translates to success in later life,” Polivka said. “We're just happy to be a part of that.”
“Literacy is the key to education, and it translates to success in later life. We're just happy to be a part of that.”
“That very first event, we knew we had hit on something special – that we were doing something that no one else in the community was doing.”