The Early Show and USA Weekend magazine had a month-long series profiling phenomenal people who are doing extraordinary things by volunteering their time and resources to make a difference in the lives of others who are less fortunate.

First Book is an organization founded in 1992 that seeks out children living in low-income communities around the country. Over the past three years, First Book, based in Washington D.C., has distributed over 20 million books to children, some of whom have never had a single book to call their own. Its purpose is to provide children with their “first book.” These books are surplus from major publishing houses and would have ended up in landfills instead of in the hands of children whose lives are being transformed through the world of literature.

Sister Power’s CLAP4CityKids program began in 2001, to focus on literacy and help children improve their reading skills so they can perform better on standardized tests and in the classroom. The generosity of organizations like First Book, help cover the cost of books that are necessary for CLPA4CityKids to materialize its program goals.