Palmer nonprofit focused on literacy

A little nonprofit organization with big dreams is quietly chugging along, expanding its literacy outreach as it goes.

The Bright Lights Book Project launched as a single bookcase for free books in the lobby of Palmer’s Valley Hotel in 2019. More than 40 bookcases later, BLBP continues to make books available to readers young and old.

Bright Lights Book Project was founded by Palmer resident Alys Culhane, who now serves as the organization’s executive director. The idea was born when Culhane noticed the volume of books that moved through the local recycling center, Valley Community for Recycling Solutions.

She determined then that she would find readers for those books.

“The goal is to counter low literacy rates among children and adults alike,” she said. “Our mission is to get books in the hands of appreciative readers.”

The Bookcases in the Community Program remains BLBP’s flagship initiative. The 40-plus bookcases kept stocked by Bright Lights are located around the Valley and in Eagle River, including in 14 schools. The books are free of charge and do not have to be returned.

Used books are acquired from a variety of sources, including school districts, bookstores, and private donations. While the focus is on providing books to children and young adults, all ages and reading levels are accommodated. Distribution is not just local. BLBP has shipped books to 49 villages off the road system, as well as to correctional facilities. In all, the nonprofit distributed more than 70,000 books in 2024, and is on track to do the same this year, Culhane said.

Last year was also BLBP’s first full year in its space in downtown Palmer’s Eagle Hotel. Formerly the hotel’s banquet room, the space has enabled Bright Lights Book Project to become a field trip destination for preschool students and their parents.

Students attend story time and both students and their parents leave with free books.

“With our larger space, we are able to engage in a wider range of literary activities,” Culhane said. “We’ve been told by community members that they and their children are reading more because BLBP books are so accessible.”

The BLBP has also recently partnered with the Alaska Literacy Program, which is beginning to offer classes in English as Second Language and General Equivalency Diploma prep.

A permanent home would expand the organization’s ability to engage in expanded public outreach. A recent grant from the Mat-Su Health Foundation is helping BLBP realize that growth milestone.

Culhane said the Health Foundation has been supportive of Bright Lights Book Project from the beginning. The nonprofit organization has provided grants and administrative expertise over the years that have helped expand BLBP’s reach and impact.

Mat-Su Health Foundation has been a partner in community health and wellness since 2007, when it became part owner of the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. In the 17 years since issuing its first grant, the Health Foundation has invested more than $140 million in the Mat-Su through scholarships, sponsorships, and grants to nonprofits like Bright Lights Book Project.

“Our success is largely due to input from the Mat-Su Health Foundation,” Culhane said. “They have provided much-needed financial and moral support. The Bright Lights Book Project would not be where it is now without them.”

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www.brightlightsbookproject.org