Partnership is a key element of the Brilliant Detroit model. We select our partners with care to make sure they align with our organizational principles and that they provide services and resources needed by our families. Making Spirits Bright is one of Brilliant Detroit’s cherished partners and we wanted to share a bit about them to close out March is Reading Month.
Making Spirits Bright eliminates barriers by bringing their books to communities through free book fairs at schools and by stocking Little Free Libraries. One difference between MSB and other organizations that provide books is their focus on sustainability. As much as possible, MSB buys used titles to assure that good books don’t go unloved.
Making Spirits Bright was first connected to Brilliant Detroit by way of Maria’s uncle who became familiar with us through our collaborations with his place of work, Rocket Mortgage. He suggested that Maria reach out to Cindy who quickly took Maria under her wing, sharing her valuable community organizing and nonprofit leadership advice. One of the first things Maria learned was that nonprofits grow by helping each other out. MSB’s first collaboration with Brilliant Detroit was around maintaining the Little Free Libraries that we have outside each hub. Hungry to do more, Making Spirits Bright brought their work inside offering family literacy nights. These events feature book giveaways, crafts, information about local libraries, read alouds, and more.
Many kids would agree that the highlight of our work with MSB so far was during summer camp where Maria, an accomplished author of a dozen books, shared her book Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun. Inspired by her experiences as a teacher seeing kids being made fun of for bringing lunches to school that were different from other kids, the book is all about having the courage to be yourself and finding friends no matter who you are. After reading the book, youth at the sites enjoyed eating spaghetti in hot dog buns. Some even innovated on the idea, dipping the sandwich into ranch dressing (maybe a sequel is in store?).
Brilliant Detroit is excited to be a part of the growth of Making Spirits Bright. Together, we plan on offering more literacy nights and continuing to make books as accessible as possible to Detroiters. Making Spirits Bright has grown rapidly since its resurgence a few years ago. Their next dream is finding a space of their own where they can store books before they make their way into the hands of little ones. Learn more on Making Spirits Bright’s website and see how you can support their work.