By Megan Wehring
DRIPPING SPRINGS — Books are meant to be shared. This is a motto that Dripping Springs High School junior Ramsey Hutton decided to encompass when she organized the Austin-based nonprofit Books for L.O.V.E, which ensures equal access to books for every kid.
Books for L.O.V.E, Literacy Outreach and Volunteer Exchange, that prizes itself in collecting books from donations to help kids in the community, earned Ramsey recognition by KVUE news as one of the “Kids Who Care.”
“It was so meaningful to finally see my work be recognized in the community,” Ramsey said. “I have people telling me that they are proud of me for doing everything with Books for L.O.V.E. But having my teachers reach out because they saw me on the news and people in my community who didn’t even realize I had a nonprofit congratulate me felt really good.”
The idea behind Books for L.O.V.E. started in 2015 when Ramsey was in middle school and volunteering with her family at a Manos de Cristo back-to-school event in the summer that provides essentials for kids preparing for the upcoming school year.
Ramsey explained that the kids were limited to the quality and quantity of books they brought home, since the event was first-come, first-served.
“We were passing out books to kids in need but as I was passing them out, I noticed they weren’t in the best condition and each kid only got to take home one book,” Ramsey said. “When they ran out of supplies, they ran out of supplies. I was just taken back by the idea that kids didn’t have all the books that they wanted.”
Books for L.O.V.E donated between 3,000 and 4,000 books to the Manos de Cristo back-to-school event for the past three years and 400 to 700 books to Helping Hands for the past two years. Helping Hands is a Dripping Springs based nonprofit that focuses on addressing the needs of the community.
Reading at a young age is vital, Ramsey explained her passion behind the program, and the organization makes sure that every kid has an opportunity to have the reading materials they need to succeed.
“It’s really beneficial for their future,” Ramsey said. “Many kids in our community don’t have access to reading materials in their homes. It’s just not a priority for families to purchase books and it can really take a toll on their education, especially on their reading level in school."
While the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the organization, Ramsey said they have made the necessary adjustments to keep their mission in mind: strive to provide books for as many children as we can, in and around the Austin area.
"We did get a big spike in the amount of book donations we received," Ramsey told the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch. "Since everybody was bored in quarantine and cleaned out their houses. We just didn't have anywhere to take them at the moment but we are finding new ways to distribute them."
To keep the legacy going, Ramsey is now in the process of recruiting ambassadors that will help carry on the organization after she graduates.
