 ne of the most important factors in developing a successful bookcase project is to identify and select a highly capable, efficient, and committed leader. This person will become your guiding light. Based on past performance, a number of names will surface and you can begin discussions with community leaders to determine the right one. We will share more about this in a moment, but first a word of perspective. We began our Conway Bookcase Project in 2005 and have already built 250 bookcases -- 50 each year -- had five Awards Ceremonies, and have had a cadre of volunteers reading to our children each week, during the school year, at the local Head Start Centers.
  very community has a good number of men and women who can lead a very successful bookcase project. An important quality your leader should possess is to have a heart for service, for helping other people, and especially disadvantaged children from low-income families. This individual should be in good health, be retired or semi-retired and have the time available to devote to the project. The leader should stand out from the crowd and be the kind of person who others will follow. We all have positive qualities that can make a contribution, and if not as the project leader, some other important role in the project*. In reality, every job or task is important as we help children from low-income families develop a passion for reading and education.
 e forewarned -- there will be people involved in your project who will want to make changes and take short-cuts, but we have perfected this project from five years of experience, so resist these people. This is the reason the “Bookcase for Every Child” project is copyrighted. Here are some important qualities the bookcase project leader should possess and as you read these, be thinking of people who can fill this role and do it well. This person should be a long-standing resident of your community and one who can carry the project forward and be available for some time.
- Have an excellent reputation and be highly respected in the community.
- Be an excellent communicator and be able to talk one-to-one, as well as before groups of any size, as well as with the media.
- Be a good organizer, both with time and people. There will be projects to organize and committees to form.
- Have the ability to bounce back and pick themselves up if an when they get knocked down by the uninformed or even those we are trying to help.
- Be a people person and who can relate to both the pillars of the community as well as the lowly and outcasts.
- Like school teachers who spend a good deal of their own money because they love kids, this person should have ample resources and be willing to share a little, if a short-term need arises. As you will see, this will only be the case during your first year.
- It is important for the leader to grasp the concept that we want to involve people rather than trying to raise money. It takes very little money to build the bookcases but it takes everyone to improve literacy.
* If this person does not surface, and be apparent to all, the next best alternative is to select a leader from your committee at your first meeting.
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