Our Story

Founded in 2021 by two high school students from Palatine, Illinois — Sanvi Pandey and Sumedha Rao — who turned to books for comfort during COVID-19. What began as delivering books to children in hospitals and pediatric therapy centers quickly grew into a larger initiative.

Today, The Bookmark Project partners with libraries, schools, and bookstores to place stories in the hands of children who need them most.

Research shows reading can lower stress, boost positive emotions, and ease pain for children in hospitals. That insight fueled a mission that has now reached communities across the United States and internationally — in India and Uganda.

Every book collected, every volunteer hour, every partnership formed brings us closer to a world where no child goes without a story to call their own.