Chronic Readers Club: Interview with founder Megan Klenke #Interview
Interview with Megan Klenke, Founder of Chronic Readers Club
A care package on the way to brighten the day!
I stumbled upon this incredible organization, and I had to share! The Chronic Readers Club is a group that sends books/ care packages to chronically ill young people throughout the United States. Check out this interview with the founder Megan Klenke and learn how you can get involved!
Q: Thank you for joining me today! I stumbled on your twitter feed, and I knew I had to help get the word out! Please tell us the amazing purpose of Chronic Readers Club.
A: Thank you so much for your support! The purpose of Chronic Readers Club is to let chronically ill people know that they’re not alone. I send out care packages that contain a book as well as lots of other small goodies to each chronic reader that applies. My hope is that this small gesture will remind them that they’re not alone, and let them know that someone is thinking of them and acknowledging all they go through!
Q: What inspired this program?
A: My parents actually inspired this program! My mom is a librarian, and she’s the one that taught me how awesome reading is. And my dad is a mailman, so when I was younger, I always thought getting mail was so cool. When I became chronically ill myself, I wanted to find a way to help reach out to other chronically ill people, because I knew how isolating being sick could be. So I decided to combine those interests from my parents! Now, as a chronically ill adult, knowing I have a package coming in the mail gives me a little something to look forward to! And reading has become more than a hobby for me, it’s been a lifeline.
Q: Who qualifies for the Club?
A: As of now, anyone who has a chronic illness, lives in the contiguous United States, and is age 30 or younger qualifies for a package! In my eyes, a chronic illness is any illness that impacts your daily life and doesn’t have a foreseeable end. I define chronic illness as such because I want to be sure to include people that live with mental illnesses and people that have undiagnosed illnesses, as I’ve found that both groups are often left out of the typical idea of what a chronic illness is.
Q: How many Chronic Readers are currently enrolled, and will you eventually cap the number of participants?
A: In less than two years, I’ve sent packages to 86 chronic readers across the United States! So far, every person who has applied has received a package, and that’s how I want to continue running the program. I don’t plan to cap the number of applicants, but there have been times that I’ve had to close down applications temporarily because there were so many people waiting for packages!
Q: Can people donate new or gently used books to the organization?
A: At this time, I am not accepting book donations. This is because the program is set up to provide a personalized care package to each chronic reader that applies. On the application, each person provides a list of a few books they would love to own and I pick one of those to send. So I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be able to make use of all the books donated, and I don’t have much storage space either!
Q: Are all genres up for grabs?
A: Any genre is up for grabs! The only books I won’t send out are books that are hateful towards any person or group of people or books that are absurdly expensive.
Care package all ready to get shipped!
Q: What is the best way people can support the Club?
A: There are many ways you can support Chronic Readers Club! Right now, I struggle with financial support the most. I run this program by myself, and I’m also chronically ill! I’m only able to work part-time, and even that is becoming difficult for me. I’ve been able to continue the program this long with the support of family and friends, and for their support I am so thankful! But realistically, I’m going to need to keep expanding my support network to keep up with the growth of the program! I’ve set up a Patreon for the program for those that are able and want to contribute monthly, I accept one-time donations through PayPal, I sell “chronic reader” shirts and put all the proceeds back into the program, I accept gift cards or e-gift cards to bookstores to purchase books for packages, and I’ve also created an Amazon wishlist with small items I try to include in each package! So there are lots of different ways to support the program! You can visit chronicreadersclub.com/support for links to everything I listed! And for anyone who isn’t able to donate but still wishes to support the program, following Chronic Readers Club on social media and sharing the posts is so helpful! I’m so appreciative of any kind of support for this program!
Q: Are you currently accepting volunteers to help with distribution? If not, will you in the future?
A: At this time, I’m not actively seeking volunteers, but I’m keeping a list of the people that have contacted me with an interest in helping the program! I’m looking forward to a time in the future when I’ll be able to better utilize having volunteers across the country and across the world!
Q: If an organization wanted to team up for a fundraising event in order to help Chronic Readers Club meet their financial goals, how would they go about that process?
A: I would absolutely love to team up for a fundraiser! If an organization is interested in helping the program in any way, the first step would be to contact me via email at megan@chronicreadersclub.com! And from there we can explore different ideas and figure out what would work best for both organizations!
Q: In five years, how do you hope Chronic Readers Club will have grown? Are you interested in opening state “chapters”?
A: I can’t wait to see where this program is in five years! It’s already grown so much in the less than two years it’s existed! My hope is to expand and keep expanding. In the future, I’d like to get rid of the age limit altogether. I’d also like to be able to send packages internationally! Another goal of mine is to expand the scope of the program beyond just sending packages to becoming more of a network that provides new ways for chronic readers to connect with each other. And I’d love to be able to get more involved in giving back to my local community! Some of these things may be happening sooner rather than later, so be sure to follow Chronic Readers Club on social media for announcements! :)
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to mention? Thanks so much for joining me!
Care package ready to brighten the day!
A: I’d like to thank you again for supporting this program. Running Chronic Readers Club is my favorite thing to do. It gives me a chance to give back to the chronic illness community, a community of people who have helped me through some of my darkest times while in the midst of their own struggles. So thank you for believing in and supporting my mission!
Contact info:
- Website: chronicreadersclub.com
- Application for a package: chronicreadersclub.com/apply
- Ways to support the program: chronicreadersclub.com/support
- My email: megan@chronicreadersclub.com
Social media:
- Twitter: @chronicreaders
- Instagram: @chronicreadersclub
- Facebook: facebook.com/chronicreadersclub
