Around the World Through Stories: People & Stories Launches $80,000 in 80 Days Annual Appeal

An 80-day journey will help fund 32 eight-week programs — and culminate at a top-secret virtual destination for donors in December

PRINCETON, NJ, UNITED STATES, September 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- — A great story can take us almost anywhere. This fall, People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos is inviting friends old and new to travel the world — and help make that experience possible for many more people in underserved communities. Around the World Through Stories — $80,000 in 80 Days, the organization’s 2026 annual appeal, runs through GivingTuesday, Dec. 1. The goal is clear: raise $80,000 to support approximately 32 eight-week People & Stories programs and offset federal arts funding cuts.

Nearly every week of the year, somewhere in an underserved community in New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania or beyond, a People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos program is underway. An organization without walls, People & Stories sends its trained coordinators directly into correctional and re-entry settings, recovery programs, treatment facilities, libraries, and other community centers bringing outstanding literature and guided discussion. At the heart of the program is a simple belief: literature belongs to everyone. Reading stories aloud together makes it possible for people with varied educational and literacy backgrounds to participate fully together — sharing ideas and experiences, building confidence and knowing that their voice is heard.

As one 2026 participant put it:
“I really enjoy reading again... It’s like taking trips and putting myself in the place of the characters and traveling with them.”

The idea of traveling through literature has been part of People & Stories from the beginning.
Founder Sarah Hirschman began People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos in 1972 with a modest mission: to share her love of literature with people who had not had the same opportunities to read that she had. She believed deeply in the power of literature — and in the knowledge, experience and wisdom every person brings to its discussion.

As Sarah said:
“To be successful, you must have a passion. I think one reason the program has succeeded is because literature is such a fantastic thing; so rich and entertaining. It catches your emotions, makes you think, takes you on a journey. In this case, the journey is together with other people.”

More than five decades later, that remains at the heart of People & Stories.
A story may take readers to another country, another time, another life — or simply offer another way of seeing their own. But at People & Stories, the journey becomes something more when people read and listen together and share in a thoughtful, guided discussion.
There is dignity in being heard. There is belonging in discovering that your experience has value. And there is joy in finding common ground with someone whose life may look very different from your own.

“Sarah’s words still describe our work so beautifully,” said Executive Director Debra Lampert-Rudman. “A story may take us somewhere new, but it is the shared discussion that makes the journey fuller and richer. We hope people will travel with us this fall and help make more of those journeys possible for more people.”

People & Stories’ work was recently featured on PBS’ State of the Arts, which visited program sites and captured participants, coordinators and community partners experiencing the organization’s trademarked methodology in action. Watch People & Stories on State of the Arts

Throughout the 80-day appeal, supporters can follow the campaign’s hot-air balloon as it travels toward the $80,000 destination, meeting stories and voices from People & Stories communities along the way. “This campaign feels so true to People & Stories,” said P&S/GyC Board Chair Charley Busuttil. “Literature can take us far beyond where we begin, but what makes this work special is that we make the journey together. I hope many people will join us and help us reach our goal.”

And when the journey ends, one destination will remain a surprise.

Everyone who makes a gift, at any level, receives a digital "boarding pass" to a special virtual celebration in December. The destination — and the story — will remain top secret. Before the event, travelers will receive recipes for a cocktail, mocktail and holiday treat inspired by the mystery destination. Then everyone will gather from home for a little armchair travel, a shared story and a celebratory toast. Visit https://www.peopleandstories.org/aroundtheworld to learn more and get on board today.

Debra Lampert Rudman
People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos
+1 609-882-4926
debra@peopleandstories.org
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People & Stories Featured on Emmy Award Winning "State of the Arts"