>>> WELCOME BACK.
NEXT WEEK IS TEACHER
APPRECIATION WEEK.
>> OKAY.
>> WE DECIDED WHY ARE WE
WAITING, WE LOVE TEACHERS?
>> WE DO.
WE'RE GOING TO LAUNCH IT RIGHT
NOW.
"TODAY" CELEBRATES TEACHERS.
WE'RE DOING IT ALL NEXT WEEK,
STARTLING IT RIGHT NOW.
SHINING A LIGHT ON AN AMAZING
TEACHER WHOSE DEDICATION TO
READING HAS GONE VIRAL AND
EARNED HER THE NICKNAME THE BOOK
LADY.
IT'S JENNA'S NICKNAME BUT THIS
LADY IS TAKING IT TO THE NEXT
LEVEL.
>> JENNIFER WILLIAMS IS WORKING
TO DONATE 1 MILLION BOOKS I SAT
DOWN WITH HER AT ONE OF MY
FAVORITE PLACES TO TALK ABOUT
THE MISSION SHE'S ON AND THE
LIVES SHE'S CHANGING.
YOU KIND OF HAVE TWO NAMES,
RIGHT?
>> MY NAME IS JENNIFER, OR MS.
JENNIFER, AS WELL AS THE BOOK
LADY.
>> WHY THE BOOK LADY?
>> BECAUSE I'VE GIVEN AWAY
91,900 BOOKS IN THE LAST FOUR,
ALMOST FIVE YEARS.
>> JENNIFER WILLIAMS IS NOT YOUR
AVERAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
TEACHER FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS
HER PASSION FOR READING AND
WRITING CAN BE SEEN THROUGHOUT
HER CLASSROOMS AND COMMUNITY.
EVEN ON DISPLAY WITHIN LETTERS
HER CLASS WROTE TO MY
GRANDFATHER AS HE WAS LEAVING
THE WHITE HOUSE IN 1993.
>> SOME OF THESE ARE HILARIOUS.
DEAR MR. BUSH WE SAW A PICTURE
OF THE WHITE HOUSE IT IS BIG.
DO YOU HAVE A CLEANING LADY?
>> IT'S HER DETERMINATION TO GET
1 MILLION BOOKS TO STUDENTS, TO
ADULTS, TO ANY READER THAT HAS
EN
ENDEARED HER TO SO MANY.
>> HOW COME YOU HAVE SUCH A
LOFTY GOAL?
>> I KNOW PERSONALLY THE VALUE
OF READING, THE ABILITY TO READ,
THE MAGIC OF STORIES.
I WANTED TO MAKE SURE MY TOWN
HAD BOOKS.
>> HER LOVE FOR LITERATURE BEGAN
EARLY, HER MOM WAS A SCHOOL
LIBRARIAN AND READ TO HER KIDS
EVERY DAY.
WHEN JENNIFER BECAME A TEACHER
AND STARTED WORKING WITH
CHILDREN, SHE RECOGNIZED
IMMEDIATELY WHAT A DIFFERENCE
READING MAKES.
>> THERE'S NO DENYING AS A
TEACHER I CAN SPEND FIVE MINUTES
WITH A KID I'VE NEVER MET
BEFORE.
AND WHEN YOU TALK TO THEM, THE
WAY THEY CARRY THEMSELVES, THE
WAY THEY ANSWER QUESTIONS.
THERE'S A DIFFERENCE CONTINUEUNT
BETWEEN A CHILD WITH READY
ACCESS TO BOOKS VERSUS SOMEONE
WHO DOESN'T.
>> WHEN TUTORING STUDENTS THEY
BEGGED TO KEEP THE BOOKS SHE
READ TO THEM.
RECOGNIZING THEIR NEED SHE
STARTED TO GIVE BOOKS TO EVERY
CHILD, EVERY TIME.
TO THIS DAY THE MISSION MS.
JENNIFER LIVES BY, NO ONE W4079H
WANTS A BOOK LEAVES WITHOUT ONE.
TO NOVELS LEFT BY NEIGHBORS TO
SPENDING THOUSANDS OF HER OWN
DOLLARS.
SCHOOL BOOKSHELVES ARE FILLED
AND KEEPS BOOKS IN HER CAR
INCASE SHE MEETS A NEW FRIEND.
SHE ALSO STARTED THE SECOND
CHANCE BOOK CLUB AT THE JAIL FOR
WOMEN.
TWO YEARS IN THE CLUB IS ON ITS
59th BOOK.
>> WHY DID YOU TITLE IT THE
SECOND CHANCE BOOK CLUB.
>> BY THE TIME YOU END UP IN
JAIL PEOPLE HAVE TOLD YOU WHAT
YOU'VE DONE WRONG.
I WANTED THEM TO FEEL THERE'S A
SECOND CHANCE.
>> HERE'S TO 30,000 MORE.
>> JENNIFER CHRONICLED HER
JOURNEY IN A FACEBOOK GROUP
CALLED JOY OF READING.
AND BY THE LOOKS OF IT, SHE HAS
NO PLANS OF SLOWING DOWN ANY
TIME SOON.
>> YOU CALCULATED HOW LONG IT
WILL TAKE TO DONATE 1 MILLION
BOOKS.
>> AT MY CURRENT RATE I WILL BE
92.
>> BUT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO STOP.
>> I'M NOT.
I'M NOT GOING TO STOP AS LONG AS
I CAN DO IT.
>> WOW.
>> AMAZING.
>> IT'S AMAZING.
>> GUYS, JOINING US LIVE FROM
HER SCHOOL IN VIRGINIA, CAN WE
SAY GOOD MORNING TO
MRS. JENNIFER WILLIAMS.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> AND A COUPLE HUNDRED STUDENTS
AND TEACHERS. GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING.
>> HOW COOL.
>> THAT'S AWESOME.
>> MRS. WILLIAMS, YOU WERE
TALKING ABOUT YOUR MOM AND HOW
SHE INSPIRED YOU.
SHE PASSED AWAY.
WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE WOULD BE
THINKING IN THIS MOMENT LOOKING
AT YOU AND ALL THE SUCCESS?
>> I REALLY, REALLY HOPE THAT
SHE WOULD BE PROUD.
I HOPE THAT SHE WOULD KNOW THAT
WHAT SHE STARTED IN ME KEEPS
GOING FROM ME TO OTHER PEOPLE.
>> I LOVE YOU.
WE HAD SUCH A BOND.
>> THANK YOU.
>> AND WE WANT TO CELEBRATE YOU.
WE CAN'T JUST SHARE YOUR STORY
WITHOUT HELPING IN SOME WAY.
SO WE HAVE A COUPLE OF
SURPRISES.
>> LET'S DO IT.
>> WE KNOW YOU LOVE TO STOCK THE
LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES, AM I
RIGHT, MRS. WILLIAMS?
>> YES.
YES.
>> GUESS WHAT, WHEN WE TOLD YOUR
STORY TO THE NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION, THEY THOUGHT YOU
SHOULD HAVE YOUR OWN LITTLE FREE
LIBRARY.
KIDS, CAN YOU REVEAL THE
LIBRARY?
>> WHAT?
>> THERE IT IS.
>> YAY!
LOOK AT THAT.
>> I HOPE YOU CAN READ THAT.
THE PLAQUE READS, JENNIFER
WILLIAMS LIBRARY, AKA, THE BOOK
LADY.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> THANK YOU.
>> DO YOU LIKE IT?
>> I LOVE IT.
I LOVE IT.
IT'S GREAT.
>> MRS. WILLIAMS, THAT'S NOT IT.
OKAY.
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE HEARD ABOUT
YOUR STORY AND THEY WANT TO
CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR GOAL.
SO PRINCIPAL WANDA CARTER IS
THERE TO HELP US WITH THE NEXT
PART.
TAKE IT AWAY DR. CARTER.
>> ALL RIGHT, KIDS.
WE'RE GOING TO COUNT BACK, 3, 2,
1.
>> WOW!
>> THAT'S A LOT OF BOOKS.
EVEN FOR A BOOK LADY.
PENGUIN HAS DONATED 10,000 BOOKS
TO LITTLE FREE LIBRARY.
1,200 ARE FOR YOUR TO CONTINUE
TO STOCK THOSE LIBRARIES AROUND
TOWN AND THEY'RE SENDING AROUND
88 MORE TO LITTLE FREE LIBRARY
TO BE DISTRIBUTED NATIONWIDE.
NOW YOUR GOAL TO HELP FOLKS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS COMPLETE.
THAT'S OVER $130,000 WORTH OF
BOOKS.
AND BY THE WAY, I DON'T KNOW IF
YOU CAN DO THE MATH, YOU'RE
INCREDIBLE, DO MATH FAST.
THAT MAKES YOUR MILESTONE OF
100,000 BOOKS DONATED!
>> YAY.
>> WOW.
>> THAT WAS AWESOME.
WHAT A MOMENT.
>> MS. JENNIFER.
WE LOVE YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> LOVE YOU.
>> KEEP US POSTED WHEN YOU HIT A
MILLION.
WE KNOW YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF
YEARS.
WE LOVE YOU.
>> THANK YOU DR. CARTER FOR
BEING PART OF IT, ALL THE KIDS.
WE'RE GOING TO BE CELEBRATING
MORE AMAZING TEACHERS ALL NEXT
WEEK, INCLUDING A SPECIAL LIVE