Megan Leigh Barnard
When Janine Sickmeyer began collecting donated books from community members at her store, she never imagined the final count would reach 600.
Through the support of the community, Storyline Bookshop collected and donated hundreds of books for children and their families at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital this past December.
Sickmeyer and her team plan to carry the energy of this successful donation drive forward as they plan future events and fundraisers to continue supporting their community.
A new beginning
As someone who spent much of her career as an entrepreneurial tech founder, Sickmeyer may seem an unlikely candidate to open a bookstore. But, for those who know her, the shift was no surprise.
“I’ve always been an avid reader,” Sickmeyer says. “And then having four children that are all big readers, it really helps to have experience in the kid’s area as well.”
She found a storefront in Tremont Center in 2023, and within a year, Storyline Bookshop was up and running.
Storyline Bookshop
Making an impact
Nationwide Children’s Hospital has also held a special place in Sickmeyer’s heart for years, thanks in part to her mother’s job at the hospital.
“The work they do in the community and the city and outside of Ohio, it blows me away,” Sickmeyer says. “And we were like, ‘If we’re talking about who we want to work within the city, it was definitely Nationwide Children’s.’”
Sickmeyer connected with Kathy Hickman, the associate director of corporate partnerships at Nationwide Children’s, to learn more about the needs of the children and families receiving care at the hospital.
“You’ve got these families and these kids, and a lot of times, they don’t have enough access to options for books because they can’t bring in used material,” Sickmeyer says. “We were like, ‘This is a way that we can work with them. We can bring in books for all ages.’”
Storyline Bookshop
With help from Hickman and her team, Storyline received wooden butterfly ornaments decorated by patients at the hospital. On the back of each ornament was the name, age and style of book a patient was looking for.
So, each time a customer came in, they could take a butterfly, find a book to fit its description, purchase it and add it to the box of donations.
At the end of the fundraiser, Sickmeyer estimates the total value of the donated books was close to $8,000.
Although the team at Storyline enjoyed watching people find good books to donate, it was the stories they heard from those who stopped in that stayed with them.
“So many people from outside of the city were coming in specifically because they heard about this campaign and they wanted to contribute,” Sickmeyer says. “And they told us stories. ‘Our daughter was in Children’s for a year and we just want to give back.’”
Doing more for the future
With 600 new books in hospital waiting rooms, the Ronald McDonald House and close-to-home centers, the crew at Storyline plans to keep the momentum going.
In February, another fundraiser was hosted near Valentine’s Day where patrons could buy a book and make cards for patients at Nationwide Children’s.
While she already has plans to put up the butterfly tree again this December, Sickmeyer is excited to find new ways to partner with Nationwide Children’s to continue working with the community to provide books to the patients and their families.
Rachel Karas is the lead editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at rkaras@cityscenemediagroup.com.
