Matchmaking Service For Readers, Books

Apr. 6 - KGO (KGO) -- ABC7 Salutes an East Bay woman who's made promoting literacy her life's calling.

Cynthia Brian has spent the last eight years finding good homes for unwanted books.

Cynthia Brian, "Be The Star You Are" founder: "I wanted to do something that would be really positive, that I could have an impact on the younger generation.

Cynthia is an actress, interior designer and media coach. She's also author of inspirational books, including best seller, "Chicken Soup For The Gardener's Soul".

That's how she found out many high quality books were going to waste in publishers' warehouses.

Cynthia Brian: "There were so many books that were either leftovers or they were seconds or they didn't sell quickly and then they were either burned or shredded."

So in 1999, Cynthia founded what you might call a matchmaking service for books.

Cynthia Brian: "When a publisher has books that they don't want, they can donate them to us and we'll get them out to people who are looking for those books."

Cynthia named her organization "Be The Star You Are." She recruited volunteers, mostly children, to help sort and pack the books. Then she found non-profit groups who could use them.

"Be The Star You Are" has now distributed more than 200,000 books, tapes, and CD's to people in need.

Many of the books go to Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall.

Shannon Grosenheider, Juvenile Hall Auxiliary: "We have, you know, beginning readers all the way up to college students, but they love the books, and whenever they see me they're always asking for more books."

"Be The Star You Are" also gives books to the Chris Adams Girls Center, a residential treatment program for girls in trouble.

Jan Cobaleda-Kegler, Chris Adams Girls Center: "The books are a great gift because many times these girls, while they are here, they discover a love for reading that maybe they didn't know they had."

The books are carefully sorted to make sure they're appropriate for the group receiving them. The school therapist helps figure out what's right for at-risk kids.

Rhonda Fugazi, therapist volunteer: "Books with a lot of heroes in them, success stories, fantasy stories, there's even cooking books, there's how to manage your money books."

Many of the student volunteers are devoted readers. So Cynthia expanded her program to include writing book reviews.

Jennifer Tao, volunteer: "We get books from publishers and these are sometimes advance reading copies and sometimes books that are brand new, just published."

The kids teach each other how to do reviews.

Jacqueline: "Write like a short summary and then say what you liked and didn't like and don't lie."

Portions of the reviews are posted on a Web site called The Reading Tub.

Cynthia Brian: "Parents, librarians, and teachers can go to the site and see what new books are coming out and what age range it's going to be good for."

Cynthia and her daughter expanded their book program even further with an Internet radio show. They interview authors, who then donate more books.

In the last eight years, "Be The Star You Are" volunteers have put in an incredible 106,000 hours of work and distributed almost a million and a half dollars worth of books and other educational materials.

Cynthia Brian: "I'm planting the seeds of hope. I'm planting the seeds of faith, and I'm planting the seeds of reading so they can succeed."

And so ABC7 Salutes Cynthia Brian for turning her passion for reading, writing and children into a success story.