College of Liberal and Professional Studies first-year student Emily Bhatnagar founded "For Love & Buttercup," a nonprofit donating books to children with cancer (Photo courtesy of Jan Galvan).
Emily Bhatnagar — a first-year student in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies — was awarded the Margaret L. Hodges Leadership Award on March 15 for her nonprofit work in support of children battling cancer.
Bhatnagar launched For Love & Buttercup — a nonprofit book drive — in 2021 when she was still in high school. Within six months, Bhatnagar donated 7,000 books to children suffering from cancer and other serious illnesses.
She now uses an Amazon wishlist to manage the thousands of donations she receives from across the country. Bhatnagar told The Daily Pennsylvanian that she hopes to provide an emotional escape to children during treatment.
“Books teach you empathy,” Bhatnagar said to the DP. “You're able to step inside [a] character's shoes and experience a whole new world. I know it can get really lonely at the hospital, and [books] just offer comfort [to the kids], which I really love.”
Out of the 25,000 books Bhatnagar has distributed, she added that most of the donations she receives are for younger children, although she donates to children of all ages.
“I get the baby board books, the little picture books,” she said. “I do get some young adult novels here and there, which always make me super excited. At first I thought, ‘Oh, what if the older kids don't like reading or this won't make them happy.’ But it turns out, reading is still very much a thing, and they enjoy these books.”
In 2022, Bhatnagar won the President’s Volunteer Service Award gold medal and was named a CNN Young Wonder in the following year. Bhatnagar’s most recent honor — the Margaret L. Hodges Leadership Award — was presented to her by the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, where her father is currently undergoing treatment.
Bhatnagar recalled a piece of advice early on that encouraged her to continue her nonprofit work.
“This one man — he was the first person who ever donated, like, money to me — he donated $100 to my cause,” she said. “He wrote to me, and he was like, ‘Anyone who says one person can’t change the world is wrong. It starts with one person changing a life and then another and then another.’ I think that is something that has stuck with me.”
Bhatnagar — who is now studying leadership and communications — encouraged her fellow Penn students to find something they were passionate about to make an impact in their community.
She reflected on how her passion for the cause stemmed from her dad's battle with cancer.
"I never want my job to feel like a chore," she said. "I want it to be something I love so much that I never get sick of it, and I keep wanting to do more and more, and that's what the book drive [is] for me.”
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate
