In 2022, Burns Design Strategy founder Holly Anne Burns started volunteering in her daughter’s kindergarten class.

“Imagine seventeen 5- and 6-year-olds at an elementary school with the highest rates of housing insecurity and homelessness in the Madison, Wisconsin area. In 2022, when I volunteered in a kindergarten class there, I thought about the challenges these kids might face as they grow older, especially in middle and high school. Without a background in psychology or social work, I wondered what small, meaningful impact I could make that might stay with them beyond kindergarten.

I kept coming back to self-esteem. I believe it starts with the words we hear when we’re young, yet not every caregiver has been taught how to express words of love and affirmations. Research shows that the words we hear in childhood shape our internal dialogue into adulthood. I know this from personal experience.

So, I created the “You Are / I Am” book—a simple, love-filled book of affirmations. One side, titled “I Am,” is for children to read to themselves. Flip it over, and the “You Are” side can be read to them by a caregiver, fostering connection and opening up a dialogue of love.”

The goal is to make every child feel valued and to give caregivers the tools to share affirming words. I’ve called this the “You Are” Campaign, and I'm aiming to raise $15K to provide these books to elementary students in the Madison Metropolitan School District.

Your donation, which can be anonymous, directly helps get these books into the hands of children who need them. The funds we raise will be used to purchase as many books as possible for elementary schools in Madison, WI. Donors can also receive rewards based on contribution tiers, with an option to opt out of the rewards.

Watch the video above to learn more about the “You Are” Campaign and what your support means for the children of Madison.

***Bilingual versions coming in 2026***