Meet Page Turner Stacie Hanson

At four years old, Stacie Hanson wanted to be Dorothy.

Her dad had been reading her the Oz books, and Stacie quickly fell in love with the idea that a story could transport her somewhere entirely new.

“I wanted to be Dorothy so I could go on adventures and live in Oz,” she remembers.

That love of books has followed Stacie throughout her life — and eventually led her to BookGive.

Several years ago, Stacie volunteered at her child’s elementary school library. At the end of the school year, the library had a collection of books to donate, and Stacie offered to take them to BookGive.

“That’s when I found out about this awesome organization and looked into volunteering,” she says.

Today, Stacie is a regular BookGive volunteer and a Page Turner: a member of BookGive’s community of dedicated monthly donors.

For Stacie, supporting BookGive is about something simple: making sure everyone can experience the joy, escape and possibility that books can provide.

“Books are for everyone,” she says. “I can’t imagine my life without books and stories and the worlds they have transported me to. Everyone deserves the chance to have those experiences.”

That belief is at the heart of why Stacie gives both her time and her dollars to BookGive.

Through its Free Book Room and community partnerships, BookGive has distributed more than 600,000 books throughout metro Denver. But for Stacie, the impact isn't just about the number of books moved from one place to another. It's about what happens when those books find their readers.

One of her favorite parts of volunteering is BookGive's intake process, where donated books are sorted and prepared for their next chapter.

Sometimes, she even comes across a book that has already been through BookGive once before.

“My favorite job as a volunteer is the intake process and finding a book that already has a BookGive stamp that’s found its way back to us,” she says with a smile.

For Stacie, those books are proof of something special: a good book doesn't have to have just one life.

“This allows for books to be read over and over again and ‘live multiple lives’ in our community as they get passed around.”

And Stacie certainly knows something about the staying power of a good story.

Her own reading life has taken her from Oz to Prince Edward Island to the world of Jane Austen.

“I love the classics, literary fiction, and mystery/suspense novels,” she says. “I fell in love with reading because my dad read me all the Oz books when I was 4 years old. Later, I wanted to be Anne Shirley and live on Prince Edward Island. Now, as an adult I just wish I was as clever, witty, and self-confident as Elizabeth Bennet!”

For those who want to get more involved with BookGive, Stacie has a simple suggestion: become a Page Turner.

Monthly donors provide consistent support that helps BookGive continue getting books into the hands of people throughout metro Denver, and Stacie believes there is no shortage of readers who are waiting for their next story.

“People need books and books need people,” she says. “It’s amazing how many brand-new books get donated. Let’s get those books into people’s hands!”

Stacie's story is a reminder that sometimes, a book is much more than a book. It can be an adventure, a new perspective, a place to escape, or a story that stays with you for the rest of your life.

And sometimes, one of those books gets a second — or even a third chance to find its person.

Join Stacie and the BookGive community by becoming a Page Turner and helping give more books the chance to find their readers.