named programs · 8 · from sources
What they call their work
"Read To Me" Banners
Displays colorful banners with literacy messages on buildings throughout the community, created with support from local and national illustrators.
Book Fest
Annual free community event featuring authors, performers, crafts, and free books for children, held at Wisner Park and LECOM Event Center.
Books at Birth
Provides every newborn in the community with a new board book and a message to parents promoting early reading, in partnership with Arnot Ogden Medical Center and C.I.D.S. nurses.
Bright Red Bookshelf
Collects and distributes gently used children's books through permanent bright red bookshelves located in doctors' offices, schools, laundromats, and other community sites.
Read For the Record
Participates in the national Jumpstart initiative by organizing local events to read a specific book on a designated day to promote literacy.
Traveling Books
Monthly program where volunteers deliver and read books to children in family day care homes affiliated with the Child Care Council of Chemung County.
Traveling Bright Red Bookshelf
Seasonal outreach program that brings books and storytelling to community events and the Elmira Farmers' Market from June through August.
books to grow on
Distributes over 7,000 new books annually through pediatric practices and includes volunteer readers who model reading aloud in waiting rooms.
activities · 2 groups
What they do
-
Children's Book Distribution Programs 3 activities
- Distribute books to children and families through literacy programsDistributes new and gently used children's books to children from birth through intermediate school age via a range of community-based programs, including Books at Birth, Traveling Books, Bright Red Bookshelf, Reach Out and Read, and Read for the Record. Annually distributes between 6,000 and 7,000 brand-new books through pediatric waiting rooms and delivers approximately 25 books monthly to 15 family day care homes for shared reading.
- Engage volunteers in book preparation and distributionRelies on volunteer teams, including a Sort and Label Crew and community service volunteers from St. John Fisher College, to clean, sort, label, and deliver books for distribution through literacy programs and community sites.
- Operate Bright Red Bookshelf program for book access in communitiesMaintains permanent red bookshelves in over 50 community sites across Chemung Valley where children can access gently used books. Collects and redistributes thousands of donated books annually—11,058 collected in one year—and operates a traveling Bright Red Bookshelf at local farmers’ markets during summer months.
-
-
Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
- Host community events promoting family reading engagementOrganizes annual and recurring family-friendly events such as Book Fest and weekly storytime at the Elmira Wisner Park Farmers' Market, featuring free book distribution, performances, crafts, games, and activities. Distributes free books at over 50 community events annually and hosts an annual event with attractions like a petting zoo to engage children and families around literacy.
-
financials · form 990EZ · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$37K
Contributions & grants$37K100%
Program service revenue——
Investment income——
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$37K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits—
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$48K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$48K
5 years on record · 2021–2025 · YoY revenue +45.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025
Who runs it
board members · 7
- Ann Welch-Wood — Board Member
- Deborah Peterson — Board Member
- Ellen McHugh — Board Member
- Kacey Gergel — Board Member
- Kevin Wasson — Board Member
- Maddy Dolkart — Board Member
- Rebecca Frank — Board Member
relationships · 23
Who they work with
- Anderson Foundation Funder — Funds the Traveling Books program.
- Anderson Foundation Funder — Provides grant funding to support family reading programs.
- Arnot Ogden Medical Center Partner — Collaborates with FRPCV to provide new board books to newborns through the Books At Birth program.
- CCLD Bookmobile Partner — Collaborates with mobile library service to bring books and literacy resources to underserved areas.
- Chemung County Department of Social Services Partner — Partnership to integrate literacy support into social service programs.
- Chemung County Health Department Partner — Collaborates on family health and wellness initiatives that include literacy components.
- Chemung County Library District Partner — Partnership to expand access to books and reading programs for families.
- Chemung County WIC Partner — Collaborates on family support services with a focus on early childhood nutrition and literacy.
- Chemung County Youth Bureau Funder — Financial supporter of youth and family literacy initiatives.
- Child Care Council of Chemung County Partner — Partners with FRPCV to connect Traveling Books program volunteers with 15 affiliated family day care providers.
- Cornell Cooperative Extension Urban Green Equity Project Partner — Community participant at Book Fest 2026 offering educational programming and activities
- Elmira City School District Partner — Collaborates on literacy initiatives within public schools.
- Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley Network — Coalition member comprising individuals, businesses, schools, libraries, and organizations working collectively to promote early literacy.
- Food Bank of the Southern Tier Partner — Partner organization collaborating on community outreach and resource distribution.
- Friends of the Chemung River Watershed Partner — Participating community organization at Book Fest 2026 offering games and environmental education
- Genesee Valley BOCES Animal Sciences Partner — Participating organization providing animal-related educational activities at Book Fest 2026
- Jumpstart Network — FRPCV facilitates Jumpstart’s national Read For the Record program at the local level.
- LECOM Event Center Partner — Hosts Book Fest 2026 as an indoor event venue.
- Park Church Funder — Provides financial support for the Traveling Books program.
- St. John Fisher College Partner — Provides a community service volunteer who supports book cleaning, labeling, and delivery for the Bright Red Bookshelf program.
- Tanglewood Nature Center Partner — Participating community organization at Book Fest 2026 offering activities and presentations
- The National Soaring Museum Partner — Participating organization at Book Fest 2026 providing educational exhibits and activities
- United Way Funder — Provides financial support for family reading programs.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Book Ownership for Literacy Developmentmethodology: book_ownership_for_literacyBy promoting book ownership among children, the organization fosters reading confidence, increases parental engagement, and supports long-term literacy development, because access to personal books creates a supportive home literacy environment.
- Distributed Access Model via Community Infrastructuremethodology: distributed_access_modelBy placing Bright Red Bookshelves in high-traffic community locations, the organization increases access to books for families, because leveraging existing infrastructure enhances visibility, sustainability, and local engagement with literacy resources.
- Early Literacy Promotion Through Reading Aloudmethodology: early-literacy-promotionBy promoting reading aloud to infants and young children, the organization establishes foundational literacy practices, because early exposure to language and stories directly supports cognitive and linguistic development critical for future success.
- Relationship-Based Literacy Engagementmethodology: relationship-based-literacy-engagementBy using consistent monthly visits from the same volunteer reader, the organization builds trusting relationships in childcare settings that reinforce ongoing literacy engagement, because relational continuity strengthens program impact and child participation.