Sharing the Joy of Reading

Honoring Monica Joy Holley

FROM CHURCH MEMBER SHERYL ANDERSON

On October 3, 2023, my grand-goddaughter, Monica Joy Holley, was the victim of fatal gun violence on the East side of Saint Paul. On the anniversary of her death, we honor Monica Joy by bringing her community the joy and power of inclusive, inspiring literature. We’re collecting books that will inspire young minds, empowering local youth to dream big and believe in their ability to achieve those dreams. We hope to collect at least 500 books and raise at least $500 towards additional books to round out the collections.

We hope to receive books for children and young adults that are written by and highlight the experiences and abilities of BIPOC, women, and people with other marginalized identities feature diversity and inclusion have an inspirational overtone help the reader envision how they can overcome adversity.

You can shop for the drive or donate toward book purchases online by visiting www.bit.ly/mjh-bookdrive or going to Red Balloon Bookshop in person. Make sure to let the cashier know you are shopping for the book drive and Red Balloon will graciously donate 20% of the proceeds to our book fund to purchase additional books. In honor of Monica Joy, we are donating all books from this drive to Wilder Development Center, Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul, Adams Spanish Immersion School, Highland High School, and the Keystone Community Services Youth Program. We will be collecting books until November 10th. We are grateful for your support as we navigate this tragic loss by uplifting Monica Joy's community.