Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Pearson.
Hi Linda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The Scooby Van of San Antonio, literacy nonprofit, started just last autumn during Covid but I’ve been driving a spray-painted Mystery Machine for more than a decade. It originally started as a “statement against nonconformity” when I took a can of spray paint to my old Lexus sedan. People thought I had lost my mind but it felt right and I ended up with a pink car with green tires and wanted to let the community get involved in what I thought would be a community-wide art project with people writing on it with sharpie markers. Since I was recently divorced, my ex insisted that I wasn’t going to take his kids to school in a pink car so I ended up painting it like the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine at my daughter’s suggestion.
The Scooby Car became a part of the neighborhood and I quickly learned that it was a great way to connect with people. When that car died and had to be towed off to the Scooby car graveyard, I was able to get a used minivan and it got spray painted like the Mystery Machine as soon as possible. Not because I wanted it to be painted… it was out of necessity since I could no longer find my vehicle in the parking lot. It’s easy to remember when your Scooby vehicle is parked but takes about 15 minutes and lots of trial and error for me to find a silver minivan in a parking lot.
After that van died, I got another silver minivan and as soon as I could, painted it like the Mystery Machine again. This was the third vehicle and 4th spray painting session and this last version is the best with the help of the new Sharpie acrylic paint markers to help with outlining the design.
Late last dummer (in the middle of Covid), my husband and I were continuing to take care of his parents, who were both 93 and had dementia. We have two teens living with us and I just brought my adult brother with disabilities to live with us (from Ohio). Needless to say, starting a literacy nonprofit was the farthest thing from my mind.
My serendipitous chance, I was also letting my friend’s son live with us. He was just released from incarceration and I was helping him to get back on his feet, acquire job skills, and prepare for interviews. We started talking about our love of books and I mentioned to him that I had always wanted a Little Free Library but couldn’t afford to purchase one. I looked at the Little Free Library website again to show him what I was talking about and there it was! A mobile Little Free Library sign that I hadn’t seen before.
It was a no-brainer for me. I purchased the sign, registered the Scooby Van and instantly had a mobile Little Free Library! But… the excited quickly wore off when I began figuring out how to get and give out books if the van was parked in my garage during Covid. I looked into organizations that offered free and deeply discounted books and signed up for one who asked that if I were accepted as an applicant, I would ensure that 80% of the books go to underserved kids. I figured that would be easy enough to do since free meals are being handed out at school throughout the city so I thought I was all set.
The newspaper tracked me down and ran a story about what I was doing and then it exploded with TV, newspaper and magazine exposure. I quickly realized the need for free books to underserved kids was bigger than many organizations could handle and turned my mobile free library into a nonprofit organization.
The business model is very simple and once we establish it in San Antonio and work out all the kinks, we can replicate it in other cities as well. We basically collect used children’s (and adult) books and then give them out to underserved kids. Since our mission is to bring the community together through literacy, we have developed ways of doing this that is beneficial to everyone.
The books we collect are given out to students at disadvantaged schools and at community events. We partner with community businesses, organizations, and schools to help get as many books distributed as possible. We support the installation, registration and refilling of Little Free Libraries in disadvantaged communities and we also promote literacy through various programs we created.
Since our inception in October 2020, in the last eight months we have collected over 13,000 books and have distributed over 6,000. Kids who receive books also get Scooby snacks to make reading more fun. This nonprofit is not my main focus however. As a “Life Stuff” coach, I am starting a radio show called “The Life Stuff Show” on 99.1 FM, and I am an author, creativity advocate and artist as well. My background in “Corporate America” took me to the executive ranks, being a musician, and also being in the military all have helped me thrive and succeed as a creative entrepreneur.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My life journey was never “smooth.” I came from a very dysfunctional and abusive family situation with two very PTSD parents, alcoholism, etc. We jokingly say that we should get t-shirts that say “We survived hell hole” the name we give our childhood home. But from adversity comes growth, so I learned to become very resilient, courageous, compassionate, flexible and innovative.
Since I was a teen I’ve been helping others through very serious life issues, suicide attempts, self-mutilation, eating disorders, relationship issues, etc. not because I wanted to but more because there was a need. I later learned that my giftedness is in helping others achieve profound results. Later, when I had the chance, I considered going into the field of psychology, but glad I didn’t because I’m able to help many people at once instead of just one at a time. There were many more lessons along the way when I left home but I now consider these a blessing that helped me to grow more and to be able to handle much more difficult things.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
While the Scooby Van isn’t my main gig, it’s the one that I am most proud of since it’s doing the most to make a difference in the community. Our mission is to bring the community together through literacy and in the past eight months, we have made a tremendous impact in the community with our programs and offerings.
We have been asked by other cities to expand but are holding back for now until we can get a firmer foundation, financial support, etc. There are many literacy nonprofits who are doing a wonderful job around the city and the fact that we’re the Scooby Van makes it fun and exciting and it’s like a magnet that connects people and makes them want to get involved.
For those wanting to help make a difference outside of San Antonio, the best way is through financial donations at www.ScoobyVanSA.org. Personally, the Scooby Van has helped me make many connections that have led to a radio show and collaborations that will allow me to help others as a “Life Stuff” coach.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
When the Scooby Van first made it into the newspaper, several people reached out immediately because they saw the potential of what it could do for their community. Like me, they have a heart for serving and a love for their community. April Monterrosa, Influencer and Editor-in-Chief of Live From the Southside Magazine, immediately partnered with us and April is now the President of our Southside Chapter.
Luke Horan and his wife Lisa, the owners of Jefferson Bodega, reached out to us right away as well. Their business is on the Westside and they are known for how much they give to the community and the impact they are having.
Between April, Luke, and also Erica Shimamura V (4 Goodness Project nonprofit) and Norm Velez, (owner and operator of Brooster’s Backyard Icehouse on the Southside), Scooby Van book events began to happen thanks to their hard work and dedication.
The Rolling Oaks Mall also reached out to us early on and our partnership has given us a place to go as needed to not only collect books but also to support their community initiatives as well. We helped sponsor the first-ever Southside Book Fair to encourage children to not only read but to learn more about authors and to encourage their interest in writing. Partnerships with schools allowed us to give out many books at once. We added more and more school programs to fill the need, like providing virtual storytimes, authors visits, Groovy Reading Programs and supporting Teacher Appreciation and literacy days, to name a few.
As we grow, many more business are getting involved by adopting our Scooby Book Buckets, which Home Depot sponsors. They buckets are hosted in local businesses and customers can drop off donated books. Those asking to donate books are sent to the nearest bucket so the Scooby Van no longer has to drive all over town picking up books one house at a time. Business are excited about this program since it’s an easy way to get involved and they love partnering with the Scooby Van.
Recently we have partnered with city agencies and district city council representatives to partner with them on events like Little Free Library installations and support for community gardens and neighborhood fun day events to bring the community together.
Contact Info:
- Email: scoobyvansa@gmail.com and lindapearsoncoach@gmail.com
- Website: www.ScoobyVanSA.org and www.flow.page/lindapearson
- Instagram: @scoobyvansa @lindapearsonsa
- Facebook: @scoobyvansa @lindapearsonsa
- Twitter: @scoobyvansa @lindapearsonsa
Image Credits
Linda Pearson, April Monterrosa, Bennett Everson, Claudia Garcia, Sara Lucy Nanez
