In Mahomet, Illinois, Senior Data Analyst Kerry Gifford recently spearheaded an ambitious book drive that has impacted Champaign County and its underserved communities. What began as a simple idea to promote literacy and provide educational resources grew into a county-wide movement fueled by the collective goodwill of residents, businesses, and volunteers. Over 6,200 books—ranging from classic literature to self-help guides and children’s stories—were collected and distributed to places they most needed, including local hospitals, jails, prisons, and rehabilitation centers.
This initiative exceeded its initial target of 5,000 books, showcasing the power of community collaboration and thoughtful planning. More than just a collection of pages, these books served as transformation tools—providing knowledge, entertainment, and hope to individuals who often feel overlooked. Hospital patients found comfort in the stories, while incarcerated individuals discovered opportunities for self-improvement and rehabilitation. Rehabilitation centers utilized the materials as a means of promoting personal growth and recovery, turning what might have been idle time into a chance to learn and heal.
The effort also highlighted the broader impact of literacy and education. Beyond individual benefits, the book drive emphasizes how access to knowledge and stories fosters emotional well-being, strengthens connections, and inspires collective action. By addressing critical gaps in access to resources, Kerry and his team demonstrated that small, focused initiatives could create ripples of change throughout an entire community.
Through this project, Kerry underscored a powerful message: education and literacy are transformative tools that can uplift entire populations combined with a united community’s energy and commitment.
A Passion for Mentorship and Education
Kerry Gifford’s motivation for the book drive can be traced back to his lifelong passion for mentorship and education. As a firm believer in the transformative power of books, he often reflects on how they have shaped his journey. “I’ve always believed in the power of books to change lives,” Kerry shared. “A single book can provide hope, teach new skills, or simply offer an escape. That’s what inspired me to start this project.”
For Kerry, books are not just collections of words on paper but bridges to opportunity and understanding. His belief stems from personal experience. As someone who grew up in a modest household, he recalls the profound impact of finding inspiration in the pages of titles like Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. These books, he says, helped him envision a better future and take actionable steps toward personal and professional growth.
“I’ve been fortunate to see how books can illuminate a path forward,” Kerry explained. “Whether through teaching financial literacy, sparking creativity, or just helping someone feel less alone, they offer a kind of quiet guidance that nothing else can.”
Building a Community-Driven Effort
Kerry Gifford knew that achieving the ambitious goal of collecting thousands of books required more than just his personal drive—it demanded the active involvement of the entire community. From the outset, he approached the project with a clear vision of collaboration, aiming to ensure every participant felt connected to the mission and shared in its success.
Engaging Local Businesses
Kerry’s first step was reaching out to local businesses, including bookstores, coffee shops, and retail outlets. With a personal touch, he explained the vision behind the book drive and how their involvement could make a tangible difference. His approach wasn’t just about asking for help but about creating partnerships.
For example, a popular bookstore in downtown Champaign served as a collection point. It encouraged patrons to purchase discounted books for donation. “They really embraced the spirit of the project,” Kerry said. “It wasn’t just about dropping off a book—it was about making a conscious decision to give something meaningful.”
Other businesses contributed in unique ways. A local café hosted a “Books & Brews” night, where a percentage of the evening’s proceeds went toward purchasing additional books for the drive. Small gestures like this brought in resources and raised awareness of the initiative across different demographics.
Connecting with Civic Organizations
Civic organizations like the Rotary Club of Champaign and the Kiwanis Club played an integral role in mobilizing volunteers and spreading the word. Kerry attended meetings to present the project, sharing data on literacy rates and the profound impact books can have on underserved populations. His statistics were compelling: according to a National Literacy Trust report, individuals with access to books are 60% more likely to pursue further education and career development.
“The numbers spoke for themselves,” Kerry said. “When people saw the potential impact, they were eager to help.”
The Rotary Club, in particular, took the initiative to host a book collection drive at their monthly meeting. At the same time, their members volunteered to deliver books to distribution points. Meanwhile, high school students from a local Key Club joined in by designing flyers and setting up donation boxes in their schools, giving the project a youthful energy and wider reach.
Leveraging Social Media for Maximum Impact
Social media became a cornerstone of Kerry’s strategy to inspire participation. He used platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to create posts that combined heartfelt stories with eye-catching visuals. One post featured a quote from an incarcerated individual who had found solace in reading: “Books give me hope when nothing else does.” Posts like these resonated deeply, sparking conversations and shares that extended the campaign’s reach far beyond Mahomet.
Kerry also used social media to highlight the progress of the drive, updating the community on the number of books collected and showcasing the drop-off locations. These updates created a sense of momentum and urgency, encouraging more people to get involved.
Kerry collaborated with local influencers, including educators and small business owners, who shared the campaign on their platforms to further amplify the message. This network effect helped the project gain visibility across diverse audiences, ensuring everyone—from book lovers to those simply wanting to give back—felt inspired to contribute.
Fostering Collective Ownership
Kerry’s ability to make the project feel personal to everyone involved was central to the initiative’s success. “I realized early on that this couldn’t just be my project—it had to be ours,” Kerry explained. “We needed everyone to feel like they had a stake in its success.”
To achieve this, Kerry encouraged participants to share their reasons for donating. Many posted pictures of their favorite books on social media and personal anecdotes about how those books had impacted their lives. These stories added a deeply human element to the campaign, transforming it from a simple book collection drive into a movement about sharing knowledge, inspiration, and hope.
Using Tools to Simplify and Succeed
To streamline the process, Kerry leveraged modern project management tools such as Trello and Slack, transforming what could have been a chaotic endeavor into a well-coordinated operation. Trello’s intuitive board system allowed the team to visualize tasks at every stage, from identifying drop-off points to organizing book genres and planning deliveries. Each task was assigned to a specific volunteer or group, with clear deadlines and checklists to ensure accountability. Slack, on the other hand, became the team’s central communication hub. It facilitated instant updates, seamless discussions, and quick problem-solving, eliminating delays that typically arise in large-scale volunteer efforts.
Kerry’s use of these tools reflected his professional expertise as a data analyst, where precision and efficiency are key. “This wasn’t just about collecting books—it was about making the logistics manageable,” he explained. “Using data-driven tools helped us stay organized and exceed our timeline.”
For example, when an unexpected influx of books arrived mid-project, the team was able to quickly adapt by creating a new Trello list to manage additional sorting and categorization tasks. Simultaneously, Slack channels enabled immediate coordination between drop-off locations and distribution teams, ensuring that the surplus books were seamlessly integrated into the workflow.
As a result, the team completed the collection and distribution within just two weeks, well ahead of the initial three-week timeline. This remarkable feat for a project of such scale underscored the power of combining thoughtful planning with modern technology. Volunteers praised the clarity and efficiency of the system, noting that the streamlined approach allowed them to focus more on the meaningful work of connecting books to those who needed them most.
Stories of Transformation
The book drive’s impact went far beyond the numbers. Testimonials from recipients highlighted the emotional and educational value of the donations. Patients in hospitals described how books offered a much-needed distraction during recovery. In rehabilitation centers, they became tools for personal growth and healing.
One particularly moving story came from a resident at a local rehabilitation facility who shared how reading a donated book, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, helped him find clarity in his recovery journey. “It gave me a new perspective on my struggles and reminded me that setbacks are just part of the path forward,” he said.
For incarcerated individuals, the books became a lifeline to hope and self-improvement. Titles like Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning were among the most requested.
Lessons from Literature
Kerry’s journey with books has been both transformative and deeply influential, shaping his approach to life and his leadership in community initiatives like the book drive. As a self-proclaimed lifelong learner, Kerry has turned to books for knowledge, guidance, and inspiration during pivotal moments in his personal and professional life.
“Books have always been my go-to resource when I need direction or a new perspective,” Kerry shared. “They’re like having a mentor you can always rely on.”
Among the many books that have shaped his outlook, Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson stand out as pivotal reads. “Both of these books changed the way I think about progress,” Kerry explained. “They showed me that it’s not about big, sweeping changes but about the small, consistent actions that compound over time.”
These insights became a cornerstone of Kerry’s leadership philosophy during the book drive. He applied the principles of small, consistent efforts to keep the project moving forward. Instead of overwhelming the team with ambitious goals, he broke the campaign into manageable tasks—setting weekly collection targets, identifying achievable milestones, and ensuring every volunteer felt a sense of accomplishment with each completed step.
“When we started, it felt like such a huge task—6,000 books seemed almost impossible,” Kerry admitted. “But when we broke it down into weekly goals, suddenly it felt achievable. By the end, we had surpassed even our wildest expectations.”
Kerry’s team also drew inspiration from The Slight Edge, which emphasizes the importance of daily habits and the accumulation of small victories. “The book talks about how seemingly insignificant choices, repeated over time, can lead to extraordinary outcomes,” Kerry said. “That’s exactly how we tackled this project. Whether making one more phone call to a local business or organizing one more drop-off location, every small effort added up.”
These lessons resonated throughout the project, especially in moments of challenge. For instance, when volunteer sign-ups lagged in the early weeks, Kerry encouraged the team to focus on the small wins they had achieved—such as securing three major business partnerships for book drop-offs. By celebrating these incremental successes, he kept morale high and reinforced the importance of persistence.
“We didn’t need a perfect plan; we just needed to keep moving forward,” Kerry said. “It’s something I learned from both Clear and Olson: progress is built on consistency, not perfection.”
In addition to guiding the team, Kerry’s personal growth through reading became a source of inspiration for the broader community. When local media covered the book drive, Kerry made a point to share how books like Atomic Habits had influenced his own life. This transparency resonated with donors and volunteers, who were inspired to share their favorite reads as part of the campaign.
Ultimately, the success of the book drive was about more than just meeting goals—it was about demonstrating how the power of small, intentional actions could create a lasting impact. Kerry’s ability to translate the lessons he learned from his favorite books into actionable strategies was a key factor in the initiative’s success.
As Kerry reflected, “Books have taught me so much about how to approach life, and I wanted this project to pass that gift on to others. Whether finding hope in a tough time or learning a new skill, books are tools for change—and that’s a message I hope we delivered loud and clear.”
The Numbers Tell the Story
The project’s success is reflected in the data. The original goal was to collect 5,000 books, but the final count exceeded 6,200—an overachievement of 24%. Nearly 50% of the books were educational materials, 30% were recreational reading, and 20% were inspirational or self-help titles.
Local businesses reported increased foot traffic as community members visited drop-off locations, and volunteers logged over 1,000 hours of service. This data highlights the community’s dedication and demonstrates the potential for similar initiatives in other regions.
Inspiring Future Generations
Kerry hopes the success of this book drive will serve as a blueprint for others looking to make a meaningful difference in their communities. He believes even the smallest initiative can have a ripple effect if approached with determination and purpose. Kerry offers practical and empowering advice for those aspiring to launch similar projects: “Start small and stay focused. You don’t need all the answers upfront—just a clear vision and the willingness to adapt.”
This perspective stems from his experience organizing the book drive, where unexpected challenges often required creative solutions. Kerry noted that early in the project, there were moments of uncertainty about how to meet their ambitious goals.
“At first, we weren’t sure how we’d collect enough books or coordinate volunteers efficiently,” he recalled. “But by focusing on one step at a time—securing drop-off locations or reaching out to local businesses—we kept the momentum going.”
Kerry also highlighted the critical role of leading by example in rallying support. “Passion is contagious,” he explained. “When people see that you’re fully invested in a cause, they’re more likely to believe in it and want to be part of it.” Throughout the initiative, Kerry worked alongside volunteers, loading boxes, delivering books, and personally thanking contributors. His hands-on approach inspired trust and reinforced the shared sense of ownership that was key to the project’s success.
“This project wasn’t just about me; it was about what we could achieve together,” Kerry emphasized. He sees collaboration as the cornerstone of any impactful effort, noting that the book drive’s success would not have been possible without the collective contributions of community members. By involving others at every stage—whether volunteering, donating books, or spreading the word—Kerry ensured that the initiative resonated as a community-driven accomplishment.
Looking Ahead
While the initial book drive has wrapped up, its influence is far from over. The stories of transformation and gratitude continue to resonate throughout Champaign County, inspiring others to recognize the power of community-driven initiatives. Kerry Gifford envisions this project as the first of many, with plans to make it an annual tradition that grows in scope and impact.
Looking ahead, Kerry aims to address evolving needs by incorporating resources like e-books and audiobooks. This expansion reflects his understanding of modern accessibility challenges and commitment to reaching even more people. “Not everyone has access to a physical book, but almost everyone has access to a smartphone or tablet,” Kerry noted. “By offering digital resources, we can ensure that no one is left out, regardless of their circumstances.”
The inclusion of digital materials has the potential to significantly broaden the book drive’s reach. For example, individuals in rural areas or those with limited mobility could access these resources with just a few clicks. Moreover, this approach aligns with the increasing prevalence of digital learning tools in educational settings, ensuring the initiative remains relevant and impactful.
Kerry also hopes to involve more stakeholders in future drives, such as tech companies and local schools, to help supply devices or offer workshops on using digital resources. “This is about more than just books—it’s about creating opportunities for learning and growth in whatever format works best for each person,” he explained.
The Beginning of a Movement
His enthusiasm is palpable as Kerry gears up for next year’s drive. He’s already brainstorming new ways to engage the community and expand the initiative’s reach. The possibilities are endless, from hosting book-themed events to collaborating with local libraries and literacy programs.
“This is just the beginning,” Kerry said. “We’ve shown that when a community comes together, there’s no limit to what we can achieve.”
His words serve as a call to action for others to follow in his footsteps. By combining thoughtful planning, innovative approaches, and a heartfelt commitment to service, Kerry has demonstrated how one person can spark a movement that benefits an entire community.
Final Thoughts
Kerry Gifford’s book drive is more than just a local success story—it’s a testament to the power of compassion and collaboration. Through this initiative, Kerry has provided educational opportunities and emotional support to those in need and inspired countless others to take action in their own communities.
As Kerry Gifford eloquently said, “Books change lives, and so can we.” With his vision, determination, and the continued support of Champaign County, this story is only just beginning to be written.
