Harry Potter Alliance Follows Up Chocolate Win With International Book Drive
Coming off of a landmark victory in successfully compelling Warner Bros. to make all their Harry Potter chocolates UTZ. or Fair Trade, the Harry Potter Alliance (HPA) is running another project close to its heart: Accio Books, an annual campaign for literacy and education access.
On March 4, the HPA launched the Friends of the Apparating Library fundraiser, a crowdfunding campaign to support this year’s Accio Books. The campaign’s goals are ambitious: the HPA plans to raise 60,000 books for communities in need worldwide and host multiple book giveaway events. These events will benefit the HPA’s primary campaign partners: Operation Breakthrough in Kansas City, Missouri and Borderline Books in the Netherlands. Book giveaway events will be held at each of these venues later this year.
As JK Rowling herself said during the world premiere of the final Harry Potter film back in 2011: “No story lives unless someone wants to listen. The stories we love best do live in us forever.” The Harry Potter Alliance is looking to empower even more readers with access to the stories and education that could shape them.
Past efforts in the Harry Potter Alliance’s annual literacy campaign have raised over 200,000 books for schools and communities in need, and have built libraries in Brooklyn and Rwanda. In addition, the organization created the Apparating Library in 2013, a progressive, community-generated library built by Harry Potter fans worldwide. Last year’s book drive raised over 53,000 books, ten thousand of which were given away to community members at an Apparating Library event in Detroit, Michigan.
“Literacy is where the Harry Potter series was born and raised,” said Matt Maggiacomo, Executive Director of the Harry Potter Alliance. “It’s only fitting, then, that Harry Potter fans take that passion and bring it to the next level.”
Harry Potter Alliance members have responded to the Friends of the Apparating Library fundraiser with enthusiastic support. The fundraiser reached its goal within just two days of launch, and with less than a week left it has surpassed 200% of that goal. With continued support, the HPA hopes to reach established stretch goals including organizing a third Apparating Library event in the United Kingdom.
The Friends Of the Apparating Library fundraiser runs until March 21. You can get more information and donate at apparatinglibrary.org.
