Feel Good Story: TMHS Students Launch District Wide Book Drive: Breaking Barriers through Books

April 4, 2025
TMHS Students Launch District Wide Book Drive: Breaking Barriers through Books

In a small but powerful movement, a group of Tomball Memorial High School student leaders initiated a district wide book drive: Breaking Barriers through Books. Driven by a passion for education and social impact, these students, representing TMHS UNICEF, rallied their peers, and were supported by campus librarians, representing 13 Tomball ISD schools, to make a difference through the donation of nearly 7,000 books.

TMHS UNICEF students who helped lead the charge:

• President & Founder: Sadhvi Reddy (12th)
• Vice President: Tanisi Mehta (11th)
• Secretary: Quang Doan (12th)
• Event Directors: Kaitlin Valino (12th), Alan Brosnan (12th)
• Communications Officer: Jessica Ho (12th)
• Graphic Designer: Lydia Tu (12th)

The book drive was initially created alongside the objectives of the United International Children’s Equity Fund (UNICEF). Among the 17 Sustainable Goals for UNICEF is Goal 4: Quality of Education.

“Our goal was to help close the literacy gap in Houston,” said TMHS student leaders.

Prior to kickstarting the book drive, members of this program did research on donation centers close to the Tomball area. Books Between Kids stood out to them and allowed them to focus on helping underserved children. 

These student leaders have initiated a book drive for the last two years but this year the idea grew into a district wide initiative. Through their subcommittees, emails and flyers were created to help spread the word. In addition to promotional materials, the organization’s President Sadhvi Reddy and Vice President Tanisi Mehta created a video that was presented at a district librarian meeting. 

“We used the school librarians as our main contact point for each student,” said TMHS student leaders. “Each librarian was extremely supportive in helping us achieve our broader goal. Their enthusiasm was a supplement to our success, as they understood and aligned with the objective with “Breaking Barriers with Books” Drive.”

Not only was the book drive supported by campus librarians, but donations were made by TISD clubs, students, parents, and staff.

13 campuses participated in this year’s book drive:

• Tomball Memorial High School - 964
• Willow Wood Junior High - 52
• Wildwood Elementary - 345
• Oakcrest Intermediate - 1572
• Canyon Pointe Elementary - 598
• Grand Lakes Junior High - 107
• Rosehill Elementary - 12
• Creekside Park Junior High - 476
• Creekview Elementary - 194
• Decker Prairie Elementary - 243
• Tomball Elementary - 178
• Willow Creek Elementary - 800
• Northpointe Intermediate - 1441

While accepting nearly 7,000 book donations, the group did experience some challenges along the way.

“A challenge that we met was counting all the books and picking them up from the schools,” said TMHS student leaders. “There was an astonishing amount of books and we had to organize all of them into several cars. In order to get an accurate count of the books, we split into groups and spent an afternoon dedicated to organizing the books and sorting them by school before delivering them to our designated organization.”

While counting over 7,000 books was a daunting task, these student leaders knew the impact they were making for so many children in the area.

“Through this experience, we learned how great of an impact reading has on a child’s learning as it helps broaden their perspective and grow their creativity. With every book we donated, a child was able to increase their literacy and their knowledge.”

In addition to understanding the impact they were making by initiating this drive, these TMHS student leaders also learned that many Tomball ISD students have a passion to help others.

“When picking up books, we had a compelling conversation with several intermediate school students about the drive and its impacts,” TMHS student leaders said. “The students were interactive and enthusiastic. It reminded us that we were part of a community that wants to help one another. Participating in community service is a bridge to champions of change.”

The TMHS UNICEF organization was founded three years ago to reflect the objectives of UNICEF USA. UNICEF focuses on supporting the rights of children through advocacy and awareness. From hosting debates about resource allocation to speaking at the Convention on Children’s Rights (CRC), the TMHS Chapter has hosted multiple events that educate members while pushing for change on a local level. 

The group plans to continue its books drive annually and even begin a Crayon drive next year.

What started as a simple idea, grew into an inspirational movement - one that not only provided books to children in need but has also inspired their own community to take action. 

With each book placed into eager hands, TMHS student leaders are reminded that literacy is more than just reading - it’s a gateway to opportunity, imagination, and a brighter future.