My main volunteer activity during this last year has been organizing people and funds to give books to students in our local schools. Almost 90% of the kids in our two schools are low-income, and many have Spanish as a first language. With some friends, we created a local chapter of First Book, an affiliate of a national organization that has a huge online bookstore where teachers and other adults who work with low-income children can be granted funds to shop for books, which then are sent home with the kids. We've raised a substantial amount of money from local foundations and individuals, and we're busily making grants. As a result of this activity, we've also been awarded a truckload of books to give away. The "Books on Wheels" truck will arrive on Monday, delivering approximately 10,000 unsorted books in large cartons. We've recruited volunteers to sort the books. Next Saturday teachers and agency representatives from three counties will descend on Eagle Lake to carry home suitcases full of books from Disney and Hyperion Press. It should be quite an event for our little town. I had planned to spend today getting concepts together for a new art project--but the emails and texts about Books on Wheels have taken up most of the day. Details, details. Still, it's a great project; I'll post a couple of photos after the event. Tomorrow my Thread Songs fiber group meets, which will goose me to work harder on the new stuff. |
1 Comment
Margot
9/27/2014 10:34:01 pm
So cool you guys got the 10,000 books! That is a great project.
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AuthorBobbe Shapiro Nolan, Fiber Artist in Eagle Lake, TX. Trying to learn to call the sewing room my studio, and myself an artist. I retired after 15 years in hospice nursing--so now I have the time!. Archives
July 2021
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