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Social Impact and Purpose

Teen Inspired to Promote Reading Among Children in Book Deserts

As CEO of The LiTEArary Society, Daily Point of Light honoree Rania Zuri has donated more than $140,000 of new books, impacting over 13,000 preschool children living in poverty.
Diane Quest

Diane Quest

4 Min Read

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Rania Zuri. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.  

When Rania Zuri learned about “book deserts,” places where books are difficult to access, she was inspired to take action in a big way. Rania, now a high school senior from Morgantown, West Virginia, founded The LiTEArary Society to provide children in areas affected by poverty with brand-new books and promote a love of reading.  

Acting as CEO of The LiTEArary Society, Rania works with Head Start, the federal program for preschool children who live at or below the poverty line. To date, The LiTEArary Society has donated more than $140,000 in value of new books, impacting more than 13,000 preschool children nationwide.  

“In Appalachia, vast book deserts abound, and so many children in Head Start programs don’t even have one book at home,” Rania says. “In my home state of West Virginia, this past spring, I donated a brand-new book to every single child in Head Start – almost 7,000 in total.” 

This mission has since expanded to all 50 states, with The LiTEArary Society donating brand-new books to Head Start classrooms in the most remote areas of each state. These books have the power to spark a lifelong love of reading among children who may not otherwise have the opportunity to cultivate that that passion.

Rania donated a brand-new book to every single child at her local Head Start./Courtesy Rania Zuri

“Traveling throughout Appalachia and the nation, I have witnessed the magical connection between the children and the brand-new books we give out,” Rania shares. “Some children even, quite literally, jump for joy.” 

Rania is currently in the middle of her largest initiative to date, The Fifty Nifty Head Start Road Tour. She is traveling throughout the nation to rural Head Start classrooms to donate brand-new Scholastic books – one for each child to take home.  “It has been quite an adventure that has taken me everywhere,” she says. “For instance, I just donated brand-new books to a Head Start center in Alaska that is only accessible by boat!” 

The LiTEArary Society aims to collectively end book deserts for preschool children just by donating one, high-quality, age-appropriate book to each child who needs it. Whether these children come from disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances or live in places without access to a library, The LiTEArary Society seeks to meet this resource gap all across the nation. Watching the kids’ excitement when they receive a book of their very own is moving for Rania and acts as a catalyst to keep her going with her mission. 

Rania Zuri is the founder and CEO of The LiTEArary Society, dedicated to providing books to children./Courtesy Rania Zuri

Rania is a powerful example of the momentum and impact that youth-led initiatives can have on the world. Starting with inspiration and a personal love of reading, Rania’s time and energy are now devoted to spreading the joy of books to kids everywhere.  

“Youth-led movements truly have the power to create lasting, societal change,” says Rania. “If we are able to start youth-led movements to solve some of the most pressing issues of our time, we can make the world a better place for future generations.” 

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Rania? Find local volunteer opportunities.  

This post was written by Points of Light Staff. Points of Light collaborates with voices from various writers to help tell inspirational stories of leadership, volunteerism and civic engagement. We recognize that there are many ways to be civically engaged, as outlined in Points of Light’s Civic Circle, and we are grateful to our writers for helping us illustrate the impact of how everyday actions can change the world. 

  • civic engagement
  • Community
  • Inspiration
  • Leadership
  • volunteering
Published January 4, 2023

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Author(s)

  • Diane Quest

    Diane Quest

    Chief Operating Officer

    Points of Light

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    Diane Quest is the chief operating officer at Points of Light and has served as an executive leader with the organization since 2016. The Points of Light Board of Directors has appointed her interim President and CEO, beginning December 1.   An accomplished nonprofit executive, she brings 20 years of experience in management, strategy, and external affairs, including marketing and communications, event production and experience, and partnerships. In her tenure at Points of Light, she has served in a variety of roles as a member of the executive leadership team responsible for enterprise strategy, and most recently she served as chief external affairs officer, where she was responsible for brand strategy, the annual Points of Light Conference, The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards and Celebration, and The Daily Point of Light Award.   Diane has an extensive background in strategic and crisis communications. In her previous role at MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership she successfully led a rebranding effort, a strategy that resulted in increased visibility in earned media and social media, and the doubling of registration at the organization’s annual national conference. Prior to MENTOR, she was a consultant with Camino Public Relations, a boutique firm with a focus on social justice nonprofit clients.   She served at The Pew Charitable Trusts as the communications manager for a jointly sponsored advocacy project with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Prior to her work at Pew, Diane was the national media director at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She managed the development and implementation of media relations campaigns to advance the mission of the $1 billion reproductive health care and advocacy organization.   In addition to her nonprofit work, Diane also has experience working within the federal government. She was the media and legislative affairs liaison for the inspector general at the U.S. Department of State. Before entering the field of communications and public relations, she was a television journalist. She has a Master of Arts in political science from American University in Washington, D.C., and a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
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