CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati nonprofit that gives students free books is expanding its reach with a $5,000 grant from the Scripps Howard Fund and WCPO 9.
As Told By Foundation, founded by Arin Gentry, distributes free books to Cincinnati-area youth, specifically titles featuring characters and stories that reflect the lives of the children receiving them.
"I wanted to make sure young people had books and stories that shared kind of their experiences in a positive way and show their experiences in a positive way," Gentry said. "But I really wanted to empower young people to be able to tell their stories."
"As Told By is like them being empowered to tell their stories because they're seeing it every day. They're reading about it every day," Gentry said. "These are normal, these are everyday stories, and they matter. They're important."
Gentry launched the foundation during the summer of 2020, while pregnant with her son, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and a national reckoning over racial justice following the murder of George Floyd.
"There was this big push to support Black businesses. There was also this big push to read books written by Black authors," Gentry said. "I want to give back to my community. I want it to be something meaningful, and I want it to be something that can kind of last."
Literacy, she said, was the foundation of that vision.
"Reading and literacy are a very powerful tool," Gentry said. "It was really important for me to not only give back, but then give back in a way that I knew would be impactful for our youth, especially the young people in Cincinnati."
WATCH: Cincinnati nonprofit gives kids books that look like them and a $5,000 grant is fueling growth
She said the key was not just encouraging kids to read, but giving them books they actually want to read.
"It's always exciting for me to be able to hand these kids books that they are excited to read. They see these stories, they see these pictures, and they're like, 'Oh my God, this little girl looks just like me, or this story is about a track star, and I run track, and they look like me,'" Gentry said.
As Told By Foundation runs three core programs, all free to participants.
Story Time targets pre-K through second-grade students. Schools and teachers can sign up for Gentry and volunteers to visit, read a selected book with students, and lead a literacy activity. Every student takes home a copy of the book.
The Book Club, set to pilot this fall, is an after-school program focused on reading comprehension and student engagement. Gentry's husband, a board member and educator, is leading the program design. Students keep the books they read.
The Free Book Fair is the foundation's largest program. Volunteers spend an entire school day at a partner school, where every student selects and takes home two brand-new books at no cost.
"We have no barriers," Gentry said. "The only barrier is making sure you get to school so that you can get the books."
The foundation is planning its seventh free book fair for Nov. 19 at Rockdale Academy in Cincinnati.
"Our volunteers, every time they do it, they always leave feeling just very rejuvenated and just reminded of the beauty and the importance of literacy and the importance of pouring into our youth," Gentry said.
The $5,000 grant from the Scripps Howard Fund and WCPO 9 will fund the foundation's upcoming book fairs — one this fall at Rockdale Academy and one planned for spring.
With roughly 500 students at the school this fall, the foundation expects to distribute approximately 1,000 books at that event alone. Gentry said the grant could put an estimated 2,000 books into students' hands across both fairs.
"Books are not cheap," Gentry said. "That's going to be the biggest cost for us — purchasing the books."
The impact, she said, is already visible. Since hosting a book fair at Rockdale Academy in the spring, students have recognized her on return visits.
"These young people are literally remembering me because they're like, 'Oh, you were the one who did the book fair,'" Gentry said. "All these books are free, and these characters and these stories look like me. They tell my stories. I've never seen a cool book cover like this before in my life."
Gentry said she plans to invite Scripps representatives to see the work firsthand.
"I'm really excited to show them where their money is going, how it's being used," Gentry said.
Gentry said she had no nonprofit background when she started. Her first effort was a grassroots book drive where people donated books or money through her Cash App, and packages arrived at her home daily.
"I just had an idea, and I put it out there, and people supported it," Gentry said. "I'm learning as I go, but I think that's important too to show like you can do this."
The foundation received a significant grant from United Way's Black Empowerment Works Grant Program in 2023 and officially became a 501(c)(3) organization in 2025.
Queen City Book Bank has also been a key partner. In 2023, the organization donated approximately 400 books to As Told By Foundation after a joint book drive with Joseph-Beth Booksellers.
"I was worried about how we were gonna make this happen," Gentry said.
The foundation also partners with the University of Cincinnati's College of Arts and Sciences co-op program, which places and pays a part-time student worker with the organization.
Gentry said there are several ways community members can get involved:
- Donate money directly at astoldbyfoundation.org. As a 501(c)(3), donations are tax-deductible.
- Purchase books from the foundation's wish list. A $25 donation provides five books.
- Volunteer at upcoming events, including the Nov. 19 book fair at Rockdale Academy.
- Sponsor or partner with the foundation as a business or organization.
"Times are hard, but you can give your time, and that is very valuable," Gentry said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
