We are individuals committed to and passionate about literacy and making materials by and respectfully about Native Americans available in Native communities and communities where Natives live. From our earliest days, our volunteers have come from academic insitutions (K-12 and colleges), the business community (booksellers and high tech companies among them), local libraries, and neighbors.
Our first volunteers were University of Washington's School of Library and Information Science alumni group members, students, faculty, and staff members. As our project grew, neighbors around our first school project (Seattle's American Indian Heritage High School) became involved as a way to welcome the newly-relocated alternative school and express support.
Booksellers and librarians became involved when we put out a call for book donations. The response was prompt and generous. The interest expressed by these donors -- some of whom became volunteers as well -- was very encouraging to the AIHS students, faculty and staff as well as the Talking Leaves team.
Since those early years, we've received donations from Native writers, teachers, and 'friends of friends' who've heard about our efforts. As we've expanded our efforts beyond Seattle's city limits, students and other members of the academic community have helped us deliver boxes of books as they've traveled to fieldwork and internship sites, conferences, powwows, and other gatherings. In town, those same supporters haul boxes to the Post Office for mailing further afield.