The Honorable Rodney Ellis, Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner, Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation (Foundation), the Foundation’s Young Professionals Group (YPG), Julia C. Hester House and the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation in celebration of their NeighborWorks Week announced today 14 Little Free Libraries, or Barbara’s Book Boxes, have been donated by Oxy and MD Anderson to the Fifth Ward Community. This generous contribution brings the total Book Box count in Harris County to 23 furthering the Foundation’s mission to ensure every child has access to books in the home.

“Increasing access to books in the home of underserved children is vital if we are to create a city filled with readers and foster a life-long love of reading,” said Dr. Julie Baker Finck, President & CEO of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. “Barbara’s Book Boxes, an initiative of our Young Professionals Group, is an excellent program aimed at empowering children with the essential tools to become confident and competent readers. We are deeply grateful to Oxy and MD Anderson who have generously sponsored 14 book boxes in the Greater Fifth Ward community.”

The Barbara’s Book Boxes project, an initiative of the Foundation’s YPG, aims to increase access of underserved children and their families with books to read, love and share. The small boxes are stocked with books and placed in public locations for residents to have easy and free access to “take a book, leave a book.” These libraries serve as a unifying and educational resource for recipients of all ages.

“It is wonderful to see the community come together in such a meaningful way on behalf of children and families in Greater Fifth Ward,” said Rodney Ellis, Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner. “While these boxes may appear small in size, the books they contain will hold great potential for the reader to discover new worlds and new ideas, transport themselves to places they may otherwise never go, escape from daily life and better themselves.”

The 14 Book Boxes are located at various locations throughout the Fifth Ward including Boyce-Dorian Park, Kashmere Gardens Multi-Service Center, Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center, Jam Park, Cleme Manor Apartments, Legends Park, Kennedy Place Apartments, Lyons Village Townhomes, Prince Complex, Kelly Village Apartments, Julia C. Hester House, Legacy Community Health Clinic - Fifth Ward, New Hope Housing Sakowitz and YES Prep Fifth Ward. These locations were identified in partnership with The Honorable Rodney Ellis, Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner, and the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation.

About the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation

The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation is a charitable organization formed by Neil and Maria Bush to carry forth First Lady Barbara Bush’s legacy in the literacy cause and to focus deeply on breaking the intergenerational cycle of low literacy in the Bush family’s hometown. Founded on Mrs. Bush’s belief, “If you help a person to read, then their opportunities in life will be endless,” the Barbara Bush Foundation’s mission is to improve lives through the power of literacy – the ability to read, write, speak clearly and think critically. The Foundation serves as the champion across the Greater Houston area for the literacy cause, raising awareness for the value and importance of literacy, mobilizing volunteers and resources to build critical capacity of community-based literacy providers, and investing in local literacy programs and services that support children and families to develop strong literacy skills for success. For more information, visit or follow us on Facebook at @bushhoustonlit on Twitter @bushhoustonlit and on Instagram @bushhoustonlit.