College of Liberal and Professional Studies sophomore Emily Bhatnagar founded a nonprofit that donates books to pediatric hospitals across the northeastern United States.
Bhatnagar began For Love and Buttercup in July 2021, and has since built the project into a regional organization that has donated 30,000 books to pediatric cancer patients. At Penn, Bhatnagar is remotely pursuing a bachelor’s degree in applied arts and sciences, which allows her to continue running the nonprofit.
In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Bhatnagar explained that she began the book drive to “cheer up” her father after he was diagnosed with cancer when she was 16 years old. The organization was initially a way for her to “cope” with his illness and take on a caregiving role.
“I decided what is in my control,” Bhatnagar said. “That was to begin a book drive for kids with cancer.”
As a “bookworm” herself, Bhatnagar explained that she was drawn to the “imagination that takes over” when “getting lost in a book.” She wanted to extend that comfort to children facing “long hospital days.”
Bhatnagar initially began providing books to hospital organizations to give patients a familiar and “safe” outlet during their treatments. She relied on donations from her local Washington, D.C. community, by posting on the neighborhood-based social networking platform NextDoor.
“I was expecting maybe one or two people to reply, but the response was so amazing and huge — I feel like every single one of my neighbors donated,” Bhatnagar said. “My brother and I spent that summer collecting books … and that was where For Love and Buttercup began.”
Since then, the organization has conducted book drives at numerous pediatric hospitals, including Medstar Georgetown University Hospital and Children’s National Hospital.
In what she described as “true Gen Z fashion,” Bhatnagar often finds new partners for the organization by searching “hospitals near me” online and emailing pediatric units about book donations.
This month, Bhatnagar donated 500 books to “Michael’s Reading Corner,” a reading and learning program at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. She described the hospital as “wonderful,” explaining that she felt “like a kid in a candy shop” while looking at the reading room.
She also expressed “love” for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Bhatnagar, a full-time student, said that managing her schoolwork and her nonprofit can be overwhelming at times, but remains something she is passionate about.
“I’ve never had this feeling before where I’m so excited to get up and sprint to check my emails … it never has felt like work,” she said. “Even on days I’m really tired, I’m just so excited, and schoolwork is just something that … can help me with nonprofit stuff.”
