What started as a small venture of donating children’s books paired with stuffed animals a little more than a year ago has grown into a full-blown movement greater than founder Lynn Unterberg could have ever imagined.
Unterberg operates her nonprofit Read with a Buddy out of her Crystal Lake home. Her basement is filled with hundreds of stuffed animals and picture books organized by animals and holidays.
“It looks like Santa’s workshop here,” she said.
Unterberg, a retired elementary school teacher, started collecting the donations in December 2024. She works with more than two dozen organizations, mainly in McHenry County, to distribute the packages of toys and books to families, including in multiple food pantries and through Kids in Need, Head Start and Home of the Sparrow.
Just over a year in, she officially got Read with a Buddy its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status at the end of February. With the new status, she is able to bring on board members, including volunteer Sheila Halasz, who has seen the organization rapidly grow firsthand.
“It just grew legs,” she said.
Halasz has an educational background, and the early literacy mission of Read with a Buddy immediately resonated with her. She is a substitute teacher in public schools, where she sees a lot of students with reading needs. Some kids swipe at pages like a touchscreen, not knowing how to flip pages, she said.
Read with a Buddy provides engagement in reading, a crucial element for children, Halasz said. She hopes to expand its impact in the future by providing specific activities along with the books and toys.
“We can spread this to so many more people,” Halasz said. “It doesn’t just have to be under-resourced children.”
The nonprofit is starting to do just that. Unterberg held its first event at the Crystal Lake Sage YMCA last month for National Literacy Month. Volunteers from Hannah Beardsley Middle School dressed in costumes that correlated with the books and read out loud to children.
A donation box also is set up at the Sage YMCA. Unterberg is working on adding more donation boxes in schools and businesses around the area.
“The biggest thing I need is to spread the word and see if more schools will participate or companies will offer to have a donation box,” she said.
Just three months into the year, Unterberg already has distributed almost 1,000 books and buddies.
“My total last year was 6,000, but I’m probably going to double that this year,” she said.
As the movement grows, Unterberg hopes to inspire volunteerism, especially in young adults and retirees.
“It could go in so many directions,” she said. “It’s just to bring joy to kids who really need it.”
People can support Read with a Buddy by donating children’s books and stuffed animals. More information on how and where to donate can be found at facebook.com/readwithabuddy.