A boy’s nonprofit serving communities one book at a time

Anaik Sachdev saw a need to help improve the mental health and well-being of communities in need one book at a time. In 2020, at just eight years old, he created the Loving Library.

Loving Library currently has ten chapters located in California, Arizona, Texas and the United Kingdom. In March 2020, Anaik’s mother contracted COVID on her way back from New York. Eight-year-old Sachdev consoled himself with books, giving him the perfect dose of mental relief.

When his grandmother tested positive and was hospitalized, Anaik realized how harsh and cold isolation can be. What began as an experiment to help his grandmother soon transformed into a way for thousands of patients to battle isolation through books. He launched Loving Library on his 8th birthday as a way to give back to his community.

The nonprofit has helped deliver over 12,000 books to underserved communities, such as:

• Pediatric hospital patients
• Mass shooting victims
• Child abuse victims
• NICU families
• Refugee families

“I reached out to my friend, Mayor Kate, the mayor of Phoenix, and asked her which hospital had the most COVID patients,” Sachdev said. “She said Valleywise Health; that’s how the first chapter of Loving Library began.”

Kate Fassett, Chief Advancement Officer at Valleywise Health, joined Sachdev on Arizona Horizon.

“Anaik’s giving is just innate in him; it’s something I think he’s learned from his parents,” Fassett said. “He saw a need, and sometimes a simple idea like a book from a child can raise your spirits.”

Sachdev said he couldn’t do it without the support of Loving Library Ambassadors, Valleywise support and everyone who has helped him along the way.