Thirteen Year Old Collects Over One Million Books For Charity

Freedom begins in the mind, and one 13-year-old girl aims to share the love for books by starting a campaign to advocate world literacy to children everywhere. When she was only 8, Maria Keller took it upon herself to begin collecting books for kids. Not to mention she founded her own nonprofit organization , Read Indeed, that helps put books in the homes of children over 30 states and 13 countries around the world.

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She is also being recognized for her contribution, as one of two youth nationally to receive the Jefferson Award, and will be honored for the “Outstanding National or Global Service by a Young American” at the National Award Ceremony in NYC.

“It’s such a huge surprise. It’s kind of crazy,” Maria tells the Good News blog. “It will be important for how many books are coming in now versus how many more will come in after the award… it will change my life.”

Maria began by doing small book drives, but when she brought in 5,000 books early on, she changed her mission to gather a million by the age of 18. With the help of friends and family, she has accomplished that goal much sooner. She has brought over one million books through drives around the country, and sending them off to schools, hospitals churches, medical facilities, non profit organizations and community centers.

“I want distribute books to every state in the US and every country in the world,” she says.

She has very high expectations, but that hasn’t stopped her from accomplishing her past goals, and it won’t be long till she meets them.