Posted by Sarah Lynne Reul, Senior East Coast Director

Here's the feature story from the most recent FORGE newsletter:


In Meheba Refugee Settlement, it's hard not to notice Brigitte and Boniface, a married couple in their late 30s.  The proud parents of two young children, they have lived in Zambia as refugees for five years.  The couple was forced to flee the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002 when the school where Boniface taught was attacked by rebel forces.  At the time they fled, Brigitte was seven months pregnant with Easter, their oldest daughter, who would be born in prison after they crossed the border.  After a few months in separate prisons (their refugee status was difficult to achieve), Brigitte and Boniface reunited in Lusaka, where they lived for a few years as urban refugees before moving to Meheba.

With a degree in biochemistry from the University of Lubumbashi, Boniface speaks eleven languages fluently.  He has pursued careers in business and teaching in Zambia's capital.  Despite his talents and qualifications, Boniface has faced numerous barriers to holding stable employment due to the high cost of work permits, and heavy prejudice against refugees.  Boniface currently works as the Office Manager for the FORGE Microfinance Institute (FMI) in Meheba. After more than a year of preparation and planning, Boniface recently helped FMI launch a Savings Program to encourage people in Meheba to put their money into savings.

You'll find Brigitte working at her tailoring business in the center of Meheba's largest market, spinning out clothing for the community.  Not only is Brigitte skilled on the sewing machine, but she has also put herself through an intensive business skills program in Lusaka which required her to walk more than 10 miles a day to and from class.  As her business thrives, more educational opportunities become available to the family.

Apart from their children and jobs, Brigitte and Boniface devote their time to a local Pentecostal congregation in Meheba, where Boniface serves as a Pastor.  At the moment, the couple does not know if they will repatriate to Congo should it become peaceful, or if they will try their luck applying for resettlement to a new country.  In the meantime, they focus on providing a safe home for their two children within the limited confines of Meheba, where they will wait.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

Check out the latest update from the NCFL. Did you know that today, (besides being the Day of the Dead / All Saint's Day) is National Family Literacy Day?

In honor of National Family Literacy Day on November 1, NCFL is undertaking a variety of activities designed to raise awareness about intergenerational learning among the general public and media. The results will further increase the understanding that literacy is the foundation for success in our families, schools and communities.

Here are just a few ways NCFL is celebrating:

A new, free, parent-friendly magazine called Cultivating Readers: Making Reading Active and Fun is being unveiled. Written by NCFL with funding from Houghton Mifflin, the magazine provides effective and easy strategies for promoting reading throughout a child’s early years. It includes activities for parents of children ages birth to two, three to five, and six to eight, plus tips on selecting age-appropriate books. Visit Cultivating Readers at the NCFL website for more information and to download this great resource, which will help parents nurture a lifelong love of reading in their children.

The company that has served billions and billions is now serving a steady diet of family literacy in Southern California. On November 1, NCFL will partner with 600 Southern California McDonald’s restaurants to bring parents and children together to learn and support each other to improve their reading, writing and thinking skills. Following a book reading, NCFL and McDonald’s will team up to distribute books to each family in attendance and provide parents with tips on ways to improve their family’s literacy skills. In addition, McDonald’s will feature family literacy on its tray liners and bag stuffers.

Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, will announce its support of NCFL and launch a new product, My Word Coach (for the Nintendo Wii and DS systems), in New York City on November 1. A nationwide online contest, the “Great American Word Challenge,” will pit city against city to measure their greatness not by the height of their skyscrapers but by the depth of their vocabularies. The city that gets the highest cumulative average score takes the title and the prize, which includes a Ubisoft donation of Nintendo DS units and My Word Coach games to local NCFL learning centers. Log on to Great American Word Challenge for additional details.

Posted by Geoff Schwarten, BetterWorld.com Brand Manager

We’ve all got them, you know - the list you have with all the things you want to do in your life. For example:

1. Swim with sharks
2. Write a book
3. Learn to break dance

This month we’ve recruited some help for you and your list. Our friends at National Novel Writing Month (NaNo WriMo) have created a grass roots event with over 100,000 people getting together to write novels.

No Plot? No Problem! NaNoWriMo will keep in touch with you throughout November to give the emotional support and coaching to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. A novel concept indeed. Next month we'll work on number 3 on life's to-do list - all $100 dollar orders will get a cardboard head spin mat FREE with purchase.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

As you may have heard, our warehouse had a small electrical fire today.  Luckily the employees and books are alright, and only spooked on an apropos day for strange occurrences.

Thanks to those who have expressed their concern!

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

Check out the following video, a la www.brightcove.tv.  It's an interview with Better World Books' own Xavier Hegelsen!  The interview was taken at the Green Festival in D.C. which is "a two-day party with a serious purpose: to accelerate the emergence of a new economic paradigm that is life-affirming and life-restoring. Together we are cultivating a culture of sustainability and social equity that honors our interdependence with all life."  Read more about the festival.

Posted by Yanna C. Ogilvie, Midwest Regional Director

Congratulations to the Phi Theta Kappa chapter at Western Iowa Tech Community College for being the first recipient of a Leadership Award in the Midwest Region. Beta Zeta Mu accepted the award on October 4th during the Iowa Phi Theta Kappa Regional conference in Cedar Rapids. I presented them with the award because of their dedication to Better World Books, their ability to have a successful book drive for the last four semesters, and their compassion to spread literacy throughout the United States via the National Center for Family Literacy. Great job Beta Zeta Mu and keep up the amazing work!

Sincerely,
Yanna

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

Using the Better World Books Fund and the help of two families, Books for Africa was able to send two 40' containers to Uganda, containing about 70,000 books.  Books for Africa.  8 computers were also included in the shipment.

Add that all up and it's a pretty simple equation:

  +       +    YOU    =



Changing people's lives.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

The following is an official release from the NCFL in regards to our visit to the Santa Rosa school this summer:

In August, a team of eight Better World Books staff, along with NCFL Senior Director Emily Kirkpatrick, Development Specialist Andrea Peters, and Training Specialist Kim Jacobs, helped the Santa Rosa Family and Child Education (FACE) program get ready to welcome students for the new school year.

The FACE program, sponsored by the Bureau of Indian Education, offers educational services to American Indians on 39 reservations.  Santa Rosa serves families on the Tohono O'odham Reservation in Arizona. NCFL has provided training and technical assistance to the FACE program since its inception in 1991.Better World Books was already familiar with the FACE program after donating thousands of books to all the sites last year. Many programs used those books for incentives, prizes, gifts, and to build classroom and school libraries.

This summer, Better World Books staff were ready to get their hands dirty—literally. They helped prepare the Santa Rosa dorm for students, mowed and raked, cleaned graffiti off playground equipment, set up computers, and distributed additional donated books. They also had an opportunity to observe the opening days of the program.“In addition to being able to really get to see and understand the FACE program in action and better appreciate NCFL's role in helping to architect the program, we all had the chance to pitch in and help get the Santa Rosa School itself "in shape" for the opening day of school,” said Better World Books CEO David Murphy. “We were humbled by the experience.”

FACE staff were appreciative of everyone’s efforts. “Without the help of this team,” said Sister Val Beuke, the Santa Rosa FACE coordinator, “our room would never have been so perfectly ready for the little ones.”

Read more about the NCFL-Better World Books partnership.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

The following is the latest update from Luanne Zurlo, Executive Director of the World Education and Development Fund (commonly known as 'Worldfund'):



picture of Nubia of Acapulco, Mexico, Worldfund Student of the Month (October).

Worldfund is pleased to be an invited participant at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), which is currently taking place in New York City, and where I write to you from today!  Worldfund is proposing two projects at the CGI, both Mexico-focused: an intensive training program for public school teachers; and, the opening of five top-quality Mano Amiga schools in impoverished border communities.

As Worldfund's Founder and Executive Director, I was invited by the CGI to participate in these important meetings. President Bill Clinton introduced the CGI in 2005, as a forum for global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges.

Also, we are incredibly grateful to Merrill Lynch for its generous support of Worldfund this fall and since our foundation nearly five years ago. As part of its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month in September and October, Merrill Lynch organized a Better World Books book drive on behalf of Worldfund at numerous offices throughout the country. Thousands of books were collected and boxes are still arriving, so everyone who participated can be sure that their contributions made a difference! Merrill Lynch also launched its Employee Global Giving Campaign earlier this month and chose Worldfund as the recipient of donations targeted to Latin America. We are thrilled to be a part of the company's first global campaign and hope that employees in Latin America will have the opportunity to see firsthand the transformative impact that our education partners have on children's lives.

Warmest regards,
Luanne Zurlo, Executive Director
Worldfund

Posted by Natasha Harris, West Coast Senior Director

This past weekend was spent in Sacramento with one of my favorite groups of people - the Nevada-California Phi Theta Kappans.  It was a terrific weekend, filled with great speeches, great projects, great enthusiasm ... and even a scavenger hunt through Old Sac.  The highlight of the weekend, for me, was getting to see how the support has continued for the Nev-Cal Regional Service Project, Bridge2Peace. 

Bridge2Peace is a nonprofit organization building a series of free Montessori educational facilities in Sri Lanka. Founded in direct response to the 2004 tsunami, the organization will provide programs designed to educate, empower, and create a brighter future for the children and families of that disaster and for those affected by the country’s devastating civil war.  Currently, Bridge2Peace operates a Montessori school in Lunugamvehera, Sri Lanka.  Since opening its doors in 2005, this school has grown to serve 54 students, and plans to bring in more and more students as resources allow.  Through fundraising efforts (like book drives) and also through supply drives, the Nev-Cal region of Phi Theta Kappa  has played an instrumental role in this school's growth to date.  The region even plan to send a group of students to the Bridge2Peace school this summer to teach!

So much truth lies within Margarat Mead's oft-repeated advice to never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world.  Over the past year that I have been involved with this project, I have seen it to be an absolute truth and am so glad that Better World Books can be a part of these great efforts!  Way to go Phi Theta Kappa!

   
In Photo: Kurt Meyer (IVC), Ed (Palomar), Natasha Harris (Better World Books), Zoie Lewandowski (Palomar), Stacey Larson (Mount San Antonio), Roger Ekins (Butte)

Posted by Abby Rae LaCombe, Rocky Mountain Regional Director

Hey all!  So, my Rocky Mountain expedition is nearly at a close (More adventures from New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado to come later) and I’ve picked up a couple of tips that I wanted to share:

Weber State University in Utah suggests using printable nametags to fill in the Who, What, When, section of your posters.  You can buy these at most any store that sells office supplies (and if you save the receipt your RD can make sure you are reimbursed).  They cut down on the time it takes to prep your posters and give them a professional look.

If you have a problem with folks tossing trash in your bins, UC-Denver and Metro State College recommend placing your collection bins next to garbage receptacles.  They’ve also found that taping the book slot down to the size of a large text book has helped to reduce the amount of garbage collected.

More to come soon and in the meantime, good luck with midterms, finals, and holiday travels!

Abby doing her best Ansel Adams in Utah

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

This past Saturday, Dustin Holland of the library division, along with Sarah Lynne Reul (East Coast Senior Director) and myself went to the Union Congregation Church in Allston, MA to help Prison Book Program with a community drive.  Hailed as the "largest drive in Boston" this program saw 20,000 books from churches and households all around the Metro-Boston area.

Better World Books was there with the Prison Book Program deciding which books would be sold for funding or which would go directly to the prisoners, and after a grueling 10-7pm nonstop sorting and packing session we actually had to shut the doors of the church to make sure no one else showed up!

Thank you to UCC, PBP and all the volunteers who showed up for a great experience.  It's not often enough that we actually get to go out there and get our hands dirty, and the opportunity was a great one.  Below are some photos, courtesy of the Boston Globe, Sunday edition (City & Region 10.21.07).

posted by Niko Tomlinson, Senior Director, Central West Region



Last week- October 17th-19th, held in the Wisconsin Dells- marked the 3rd straight Wisconsin Association of College Stores (WACS) show Better World Books has attended, (and more specifically me).  The WACS group is such a great example of the support and friendship the regional college store associations offer to the independent college stores representing colleges and universities of all sizes.  From national conferences like the NACS Innovate Conference this past summer, the pace at which the college store's core business model is changing is incredible- from the technology of educational materials to the leaps and bounds in entertainment supplies college stores offer to the types of customers/students who are their main constituents. 

The WACS group has always proven itself to be an inspired, concerted group and their annual meeting last week was no exception.  With almost 75% of all the attending bookstores participating in Better World Books drives, the comments I received about the feedback they get from their students, faculty, and coworkers were incredible.  What really surprised me were the unique ways in which stores were using the book drive to great promotional means for their store:

-Posting letters of thanks and support from our literacy partners above the collection box to show students how much their books mean.
-Providing semesterly reports to administration of #s of lbs of books collected.
-Using Better World Books posters as marketing for their buyback.
-Sending out notices to faculty to let them know they are a resource for unwanted books- this was big because it was stressed how this helped open up communication with faculty.

I am continually impressed with this group and always enjoy my time with them- new ideas, intersting discussions and debates, and generally just shooting the breeze- a great time and a partnership I look forward to continuing to strengthen and develop!

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

Follow the link below [read more] to read the transcript of a podcast by Sharon Darling, the President of the National Center for Family Literacy. This podcast was originally broadcast on October 11, 2007 from 1:50pm - 2:15pm on the NCFL website.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

Al Vos, a teacher at The State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton, has been chosen to receive the "Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service"



The website suggests:

This award recognizes individuals whose long history of service to the campus, State University, local community or professional societies/organizations sets them apart as well as those who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in local or system-wide faculty governance.

You can read the full description of his excellent works, but you'll notice that one reason he is receiving this award is of particular interest:

[Al] works with the Center for Learning and Teaching and the Institute for Student-Centered Learning. Vos, campus organizer and coordinator of the Books for Africa campaign, also contributes time and expertise to other community initiatives.


Congratulations, Al, you've always been a committed and excellent representative of Better World Books and Books for Africa, and this award is well deserved!

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

Here's a photo of our team at work getting the hundreds of student group payments together for mailing.

Thanks, warehouse, for all the hard work in getting these out!

Posted by Laurie Lawson, Southwest Regional Director

Texas Phi Theta Kappa members proved, once again, that everything is bigger in Texas! Last weekend's Leadership Conference set record attendance with an enthusiastic crowd of 312 in Waco, Texas. It was the perfect opportunity to share some good news with the chapter from Collin County Community College-Plano. Alpha Mu Tau was chosen as the Better World Books Spring 2007 Outstanding Group from the Southwest Region. The leadership of Frank Pallone and Laura Perdomo (pictured below) was an example of true synergy. Alpha Mu Tau is a chapter that's always ready to go above and beyond--a true pleasure to work with.

A big thank you to the hosting chapter from Texas State Technical College-Waco for their hospitality at the conference. They did a fabulous job taking care of everyone's needs. I enjoyed reconnecting with everyone--it has been awhile since the International Conference in Nashville! See you again in March for the Texas Regional!