About Friends Through Books

In March 2009 we had the amazing opportunity to travel to the Caribbean island of Carriacou with our family. Our parents were there as part of The Ashby Windward Foundation, which helps provide free medical care to the citizens of Grenada on the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique. While our physician parents were working at the Carriacou Health Services Clinic, we visited a local Roman Catholic school, The L’Esterre Rosary School.  It was our intent to meet some of the students in our grades and see if there was anything that we could do to volunteer our time at their school. While there we realized that the school did not have a library. We have always been avid readers and thought this would be a great opportunity to donate our previously read books to the school. We know that reading not only makes you a well-rounded person, but it opens so many doors in your life. The ability to visit exotic places, learn interesting facts and enter a world of fantasy just by turning the pages of a book is a privilege no child should be deprived of. It was shocking to us that these children did not have this opportunity. During the remainder of the school year we enlisted the help of our classmates in Boise Idaho. The response was so great that we decided to start Friends Through Books as a way to continue to give to the many elementary schools on both Carriacou and Petite Martinique.

All books that are donated go directly to the schools in these areas. We also thought it would be fun to develop a pen pal program between these students and those in our community. Every book that is donated is marked with the name and address, or email address, of the donor so that when a student reads their donated book in Carriacou or Petite Martinique, they will have the  opportunity to  correspond with the student in the United States. We are hoping to develop new friendships through our mutual love of books.

Kyle Ashby Kyle is currently a 10th grade student at Bishop Kelly High School in Boise Idaho. She enjoys traveling, swimming, reading and spending time with her friends and her Australian Shepherd, Owen. Kyle has participated in the National Science Olympiad for the past 4 years and has won medals in Ecology, Anatomy, Physics Lab and Rocks and Minerals. She has represented Idaho on the National Team for 4 years. She is a member of the National Junior Honor Society and Key Club. She has also won the Presidential Volunteer Service Award in 2010 and 2011 and she was awarded the Kohl’s Kids Who Care Award for Boise, Idaho in 2011. In the future Kyle intends to pursue a career in Forensics/Life Sciences and Law.

Graham Ashby Graham is currently an 11th grade student at Bishop Kelly High School in Boise, Idaho. She enjoys tennis, swimming, traveling, reading and spending time with her friends and her Pug, Winifred. For the past 5 years Graham has competed in Science Olympiad winning medals in Anatomy and Disease Detectives.  She has represented Idaho on the National Science Olympiad team for the past 3 years. She has also won the Prudential Spirit of Community Award for the high school division in the state of Idaho for 2010 and the Presidential Volunteer Service Award in 2010 and 2011. She was given Honorable Mention in the Nestle Very Best in Youth Award in 2011 and was named a national finalist in the Parade Magazine/GenerationOn All American High School Service Team for 2011. She is a member of the National Junior Honor Society, Key Club, History Club, and is currently studying American Sign Language. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in medicine and become a physician involved in international health.