As high schoolers, standing out from the crowd through interests, talents, and grades is important when it comes to future college applications. One way to achieve this spotlight is by creating a passion project. In an effort to give back to her community, junior Ella Chambers took her passion for reading and turned it into a charity project for children in need. 

Chambers’s project, Books to Blossom, started as an idea between two friends who shared an interest in reading. Soon, this vision blossomed into reality as the juniors researched donation organizations and libraries they could collaborate with and began to build their platform. 

“Books to Blossom wants high schoolers to donate gently used books so we can donate to kids without the luxury of reading,” Chambers said.

Chambers has put extensive work and time into her project to ensure its success.

“She’s [Chambers] set up an entire website for it [Books to Blossom], she’s made posters, she’s made emails, she’s found boxes, she’s talking to librarians,” Books to Blossom Webmaster Kelsey Duskie said. “She’s making sure everything gets done.”

The most important thing about passion projects is that they are carried with passion.

“I think honestly, Ella is a great fit for running this project because she loves books so much,” Duskie said. “If she didn’t love books, I don’t think she’d be doing so great. She loves books, so she’s putting her all into it.”

Between the second semester of her junior year and first semester of senior year, Chambers plans to spread the word about Books to Blossom and encourage students to donate. 

“My long term goal is hopefully, during my senior year, people will recognize who we are and what we do, and we can get a ton of books and actually make a difference in our community,” Chambers said.

Books to Blossom believes that reading can be for everyone; you just need to find the right book. Through this project, Chambers hopes to touch the lives of children who may not have the opportunity to read. 

“I love reading, and I want kids that are less fortunate to have the chance to have books that they enjoy and want to read so they can also have the amazingness of reading,” Chambers said.