Opening a New Chapter
Robyn Strumpf knows the value of snuggling up with a good book. But as founder and CEO of a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting literacy, it’s surprising that this college freshman finds the time to even crack open a textbook.
In the past seven years, Strumpf has single-handedly donated more than 18,000 books and countless handmade quilts to hundreds of schools and organizations through her creation, Project Books and Blankies.
The idea was to encourage children to read by bringing together the gift of books with the comforts of a homemade quilt.
“I just remember how much it helped when my parents sat down with me with a cozy blanket and a book,” said Strumpf, who launched her project at the age of 12 after fighting her own childhood battle with reading.
It’s hard to believe this avid reader and mechanical engineering major ever struggled with the task, but Strumpf’s personal triumphs inspired her to give back to other children and show them that not only is reading possible, but it’s fun.
After years of working on a nationwide scale, Strumpf now plans to go global. She has assembled detailed starter kits to help others across the country begin their own programs, providing everything from tips on collecting donations to basic quilt patterns. She also has sent more than 1,000 books overseas to childrens’ organizations in South Africa, India and the Middle East.
“It has gotten so much bigger than I ever thought possible,” she said.
The efforts have attracted substantial media attention, with photo spreads and articles in Teen Magazine, USA Today and the Los Angeles Times. Strumpf has received many awards and honors as well as special commendations from President George H.W. Bush, his son and President Clinton.
Most recently, she was the recipient of the second annual Neighborhood Excellence Initiative Award from Bank of America. Her award was a $5,000 grant to use toward Project Books and Blankies.
With the money, Strumpf has her sights set on starting a new chapter of her organization at USC. She is working on a book drive with her residence hall, Parkside Suites, and would like to reach out to the schools in her new neighborhood. Strumpf also is formulating plans to get the USC Viterbi School of Engineering involved with a science literacy program.
“I want to get more people at USC involved to show them how much fun it is to give to others,” she said.
To learn more about Project Books and how volunteers can help, visit www.booksandblankies.com.
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USC in the News
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The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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