Rice University's chapter of the nonprofit organization involves students helping to write love letters and create book bundles for delivery, as well as attending read-alouds and other events. (Courtesy Butterfly Books)
Lucia Noto started the nonprofit Butterfly Books in middle school based on her love of reading and her community.
“I’ve been an avid reader my whole life, and books have really shaped who I am as a person,” she said. “During the pandemic, I decided to start a business on Amazon selling new and used books from my personal collection that I was finished with.”
Noto said that once she started making a little bit of money from the business, she decided she wanted to use the profits to make a difference in her community. A deep dive on the Internet led her to the challenge of childhood literacy.
“I learned that over half of elementary school children nationwide don’t read proficiently and that fact just compelled me to take action,” she said. “I wanted to share the same joy, imagination and opportunities that reading has given me with children who may not have access to books otherwise.”
Lucia reads to children in underserved communities. Courtesy Butterfly Books
After operating her online business for a while, Noto said she decided to create her first nonprofit organization to promote literacy for children with medical needs and kids in underserved communities. She called her organization Butterfly Books.
“Butterflies symbolize hope, healing and transformation, which I think is important for all of the kids we work with, whether they are at Title I schools or they’re receiving treatments at the hospitals—every kid deserves to have access to books and have that escape, comfort and hope.” — Lucia Noto, founder
Read all about it
Butterfly Books promotes its goals through three main initiatives:
Read-Aloud events: Members of the nonprofit team go to schools, community centers and hospitals to read to children and do activities
Book Bundles: Customized care packages that include a book, a letter and other trinkets for children who are receiving medical treatments
Little Libraries: The nonprofit builds and installs little libraries in various communities
Butterfly Books was established as a 501c3 nonprofit in 2023, with headquarters in Maryland, where Noto grew up. However, after she moved to Houston to attend Rice University last year to study biosciences, she decided to create a new student chapter at the private university.
The local impact
Noto said Butterfly Books currently has four college chapters, including Rice University; the University of California, Berkeley; Washington University in St. Louis; and Brown University.
In Houston, she also partners with other community organizations such as the Rise School of Houston, which serves young children with developmental disabilities.
The Rise School of Houston provides early education for children both with and without developmental disabilities.Courtesy Butterfly Books
The nonprofit recently reached the milestone of impacting 49,500 kids, donating over 13,000 books, completing more than 200 read-alouds and installing 8 little libraries.
“[Butterfly Books] is continuing to grow and expand in ways that I never could have initially imagined,” Noto said. “I am super proud of the impact we are making and also really happy that there are so many young people getting involved and making a difference in their communities.”
