Nerd Night @ Geekdom Benefiting Book Buddies
Join us on April 13th from 7pm-midnight for a night of board gaming in support of Book Buddies. Nerd Night is holding a book drive to collect books for this year’s fairs. Bring your new or gently used children’s books to the Geekdom Event Centre. We will have our game library to share or bring your own games to play while you make new gaming buddies.
Book Idea List HERE: https://www.amazon.com/hz/
Book Buddies is an initiative of San Antonio Youth Literacy. Book Buddies collects books suitable for kids in kindergarten through 5th grade and distributes them at the end of the school year in free book fairs at their Reading Buddy Schools.
Children choose books to take home to read over the summer, which helps prevent the “summer slide” — a regression in learning over summer vacation when they are not being actively taught. Studies also show that children who grow up in homes without books, and who are not read to as children, are far more likely to fall behind in school, fail to complete high school, and suffer the unfortunate outcomes associated with failure: drug use, criminal behavior, early pregnancy, etc.
San Antonio Youth Literacy developed Book Buddies as an offshoot of their Reading Buddy program, which exists in San Antonio Title 1 schools where at least 75% of the families are below the poverty line. Children at these schools attend the free book fairs at the end of the school year and take the books home and keep them as their own. They can read them over the summer, share them with family and friends, or even their parents. In many cases these donated books are the only books in the home. An added benefit is that children in more advantaged homes learn to share their no longer needed books with another child. Everybody wins!
July Nerd Night @ Geekdom: SAMMinistries Back-to-School Bash
Our July Nerd Night events on July 14th and 23rd will support SAMMinistries’ annual Back-to-School Bash, taking place in August. Each year, SAMMinistries invites more than 200 children from their programs across the city to attend and shop for back-to-school clothing and supplies. See the list below for “most needed” items.
MOST NEEDED SCHOOL SUPPLIES
3″ – 4″ Binders
Pocket Folders with Brads (different colors)
200-count Kleenex Tissues
9″ x 12″ Assorted Construction Paper (loose)
Red Pencils 10-count Divider Pages (for the binders)
Free parking 2 blocks from the EC at the Frost Employee (surface) lot at Houston & Flores. Come play with us!
June @ Geekdom: Texas Burn Survivor Society
Some disturbing but important facts:
– Burns are the leading cause of injury to San Antonio children under age 16.
– The number of burn injuries has grown over 50% in the past five years.
– Fire injuries constitute the fifth largest cause of injury-related hospitalizations reported among Texas residents.
How can you help?
June’s partner organization is the Texas Burn Survivor Society. TBSS founder David Jayne was critically burned in a helicopter accident and spent three years enduring treatment and rehab at Brooke Army Medical Center’s Burn Unit. David and his wife Jane were determined to provide the kind of support for others they themselves had so sorely needed, and in 1962 TBSS was born.
We will be stuffing backpacks for Camp David, a week-long camp for pediatric burn survivors, their siblings, and also the children of adult burn survivors. Campers experience a week of adventure, discovery and fun, designed specifically for children ages 7 to 16. Camp David is unique among burn camps because it also includes siblings and children of burn survivors, whose lives are also severely impacted by burn injury. This amazing camp is made available to the children free of charge!
Camp David, named in honor of TBSS co-founded David Jayne, is in its 22nd year and will take place July 9-15 at Texas Lions Camp in Kerrville, where it has been since 2007. On average, the camp hosts 55 campers each year. This year, they will host at least 65 campers. The camp is financed by private donations and is free of charge for all campers.
Backpack Items
Beach Towels/Large Bath Towels
School Supplies
Snack Items (granola bars, sugar free mints/gum, etc.)
Beanie Babies or Similar Small Stuffed Animals
Small Puzzle Toys
Small Journals or Notepads
Decals and Stickers
Friendship Bracelets
October Nerd Night @ Geekdom
October has been declared “Diaper Need Awareness Month” in the State of Texas, Bexar County, San Antonio
and Leon Valley. In Bexar County alone, nearly 40,000 babies lack the necessary diapers to stay clean, dry and
healthy. The Texas Diaper Bank needs your help to raise 1 million diapers for babies. Join the “One Million Diapers
for Babies” campaign during the month of October and help make a difference in the lives of babies born into
poverty and help make sure that they grow up healthy.
Shopping List:
Diapers Size 4
Diapers Size 5
Diapers Size 6
Adult Diapers Size L
Adult Diapers Size XL
Baby Wipes