Special Events
Books for Kids 30th Birthday!
July 12-23, 2021
Join Next Door this summer as we celebrate 30 years of Books for Kids! Books for Kids has been one of Next Door’s flagship programs, providing more than a million free books to countless children, their families and many Milwaukee organizations over the past three decades.
Our celebration features a two-week-long book drive to collect donations for more than 1,300 children next school year. Our goal is to give them at least three books per month to help build their home libraries. There are many ways to get involved like hosting a book drive, donating books from home and shopping our Amazon Wish List.
The celebration culminates in a virtual event on July 28th showcasing the program’s history and announcing the results.
You can participate individually or form a team – all from the event website link above. There is additional information on event sponsorship opportunities as well.
2021 Virtual Walk for Children
Thanks for joining us!
Click here to watch our virtual celebration
We want to thank our community supporters for their commitment and generosity to the 2021 Virtual Walk for Children! With your contributions, we met our goal and raised just over $75,000 to support Next Door’s critical early childhood education programs for our families.
On top of that, 437 participants (including 23 teams) pledged 8,383 miles to walk, run or ride during the week-long event from May 22-28.
We wrapped up the event with a virtual celebration hosted by Shannon Sims with TMJ4. Entertainment includes yoga for children, “Pete the Cat” story time with our librarians, an African music ensemble and an interview with the Presenting Sponsor of the 2021 Virtual Walk for Children – Harley-Davidson Motor Company. The company has generously served in this role since the Walk for Children began in 1989.
Walmart Registry for Good
Click here to access the registry
Next Door is now part of the Walmart Registry for Good program – a charitable initiative that links nonprofit organizations with Walmart to help them provide supplies they need to support their cause.
Through this program, you can purchase Walmart gift cards, at various values, for Next Door families in need of additional financial assistance right now. The cards will provide emergency relief for families to buy food, clothes and other essential household items from Walmart.
The gift cards will ship directly to Next Door. Our Family Services Team will distribute them to the families. This is a perfect opportunity to make a direct impact on a Next Door family and help ensure they have the basics at home to care for their children.
Donate Family Kits
Click here for Amazon Wish List
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an increased need from our families for basic staples at home. Through the Amazon Wish List above, you can support them by purchasing some of their highest-need items right now like spring cleaning supplies and household child safety proofing.
Donations will ship directly to Next Door where we will package the supplies into special kits for our families. We hope you will consider a donation today and help foster safe and healthy households in Milwaukee this spring.
Donate Books
Click here for Amazon Wish List
Next Door’s Books for Kids program collects and distributes close to 75,000 new and gently-used books each year to Next Door students and children in Milwaukee to help build their home libraries. Due to the impact of COVID-19 on our operations, we are behind on these collections and need your help!
We want to ensure that our students (ages 0-5) receive three books a month, including one new title. We distribute additional books to children in the community through our Books for Kids Mobile Library and special requests.
You can help by purchasing books on our Amazon Wish List posted above. The current list includes several multi-cultural stories – one of our areas of greatest need. Donations ship directly to Next Door, so there’s no need to pack or ship anything. To learn more about Books for Kids, click HERE.
Host a Book Drive
Next Door’s Books for Kids program collects and distributes close to 75,000 new and gently-used books each year to Next Door students and children in Milwaukee to help build their home libraries. Due to the impact of COVID-19 on our operations, we are behind on these collections and need your help!
We want to ensure that our students (ages 0-5) receive three books a month, including one new title. We distribute additional books to children in the community through our Books for Kids Mobile Library and special requests.
You can help by hosting a book drive for Books for Kids. This is a perfect opportunity to do with your neighbors, school, congregation, youth group, or workplace. We will work with you on a safe pick-up at your site or delivery to Next Door. See the link above for details on the type of books we need and contact information.