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CURRENT PROJECT: 2008

A Book for Every Child

The Social Responsibilities SIS and AALL continue the tradition of giving something back to the community that hosts our Annual Meeting through this, our tenth annual Children’s Book Drive. SR-SIS is excited to announce the recipient of the 2008 AALL Children’s Book Drive: the Willamette Writers Inc. Books for Kids program. This book donation program collects and distributes over 23,000 new and used books every year to underprivileged children and teenagers served by over 50 agencies and organizations throughout Portland, Oregon state, and SW Washington state. Its motto is “Every child should have a book to call their very own.” The recipient agencies give the books to the children.

Hospitals, shelters, literacy programs, alternative schools for homeless youth, and reading mentor programs are involved in the Books for Kids program. Specific agencies include: African Children's Libraries, Boys & Girls Clubs, Metro Family Services, Oregon Foster Care, Juvenile Rights Project, Wynne Watts School and Community Transitional School (schools for homeless youth), Volunteer for America chapters, Medford & Phoenix Head Start Programs, and YMCA Kindergarten. Willamette Writers Inc. is an Oregon non-profit providing a creative environment and support system for writers. The Books for Kids program has existed since the early 1990s. Program information available, http://www.willamettewriters.com/1/books-for-kids.php.

Donating books is easy! We created an online Book Wish List (including titles requested by the Books for Kids program and award-winning children’s books). This year we are working with Powell’s Books – a Portland institution since 1971. This bookstore is a family affair having been created by Walter Powell (after being inspired by his son Michael’s Chicago bookstore). Michael Powell joined his father in the Portland store in 1979. They went online with powells.com in 1994. For those of you coming to AALL in Portland, be sure to visit Powell’s Books, just for the fun of it. They have an online guide to the store to help you prepare - http://www.powells.com/info/citytour.html!

To buy books online and ship them to our Book Drive Team member in Portland, please visit our Powell’s AALL Book Drive 2008 Wish List 2c. Or search the Powell’s Wish List page, https://www.powells.com/wish_list, with the following email: courtney-selby@utulsa.edu. You can also donate a “gift card” from Powell’s Books, http://www.powells.com/powellscard.html.

All books, gift cards, and monetary donations (checks made out to “AALL”) should be sent to AALL Book Drive team member, Jorge Juarez. His address is below.

Mr. Jorge Juarez
Northwestern School of Law
Lewis & Clark College
Paul L. Boley Law Library
10015 S.W. Terwilliger Blvd.
Portland, OR 97219-7799

If you have questions about the book drive (“A Book for Every Child”), please contact one of the members of the SR-SIS Book Drive Team (Ann Hemmens hemmens@u.washington.edu; Jorge Juarez jjuarez@lclark.edu; Courtney Selby courtney-selby@utulsa.edu).

PRIOR PROJECTS:

ReCovering New Orleans: One Book at a Time was the theme of the 2007 book drive, with donations benefiting the Recovery District Schools in New Orleans. The RSD has 21 needy schools under its umbrella including elementary, middle and high schools.

SHOW ME THE BOOKS! was the theme of the 2006 book drive, with donations benefitting St. Louis' Central Elementary and Vashon 9th Grade Academy. Under the direction of James Donovan and Ann Pucket, member donations totalled 563 books and $880 were donated before, during and just after the meeting. The Social Responsibilities SIS supplemented the cash donations by adding a $1000 gift from the SIS treasury. The organizers also partnered with a local book shop, Left Bank Books, which sold $1000 in gift cards to be used by the two beneficiary schools for their libraries. Total cash raised: $2,880.

FIESTA OF BOOKS!, the 2005 Book Drive, was a tribute to San Antonio's Hispanic cultural heritage.  Fiesta of Books!, under the capable direction of Ron Wheeler and Barbara Lah of the University of New Mexico Law Library, raised $2,200 and more than 450 books for five of the neediest elementary schools in San Antonio.

MAKE WAY! 2004
The theme for the 2004 Book Drive, Make Way!, was based on Boston's beloved children's book "Make Way for Ducklings" by Robert McCloskey (The Viking Press, New York, 1941).

The 2004 Make Way! Book Drive raised a total of 562 books and $1,721 in monetary donations - nearly triple the previous year's donations, and an incredible gift to this year's recipient - Read Boston, a city initiative whose mission is to ensure that all Boston children are able readers by the time they complete third grade.

First Place is a private non-profit school and social service agency serving children and families in transition, in crisis, or homeless. Most of the families served live below the poverty line and 80% of the families are fleeing domestic violence. The school serves children in grades kindergarten through 7th grade.

CONNECTING WITH KIDS, 2002
The book drive for the 2002 Annual Meeting benefitted the New Beginnings Educational Complex in Kissimmee, FL, which houses two programs -- "Crossroads Center" (middle and high school) and "Cornerstone" (K-12). Both programs educate children and teenagers who have behavioral and academic problems that likely would jeopardize their success in traditional schools. Tim Coggins and Karen Westwood chaired the effort.

TWICE AS RESPONSIBLE, 2001
What do Anne of Green Gables and Litle Women have in common? They were the two most-donated titles to this year's service project at the Annual Meeting in Minneapolis. For the third year in a row, the SR-SIS organized the project of collecting and donating books to the libraries of public schools in the host cities. Since AALL was held in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the SIS decided to be "twice as responsible" and collect for both school districts.

More than 160 books were collected during the Annual Meeting. Most were new, although some gently used titles also made an appearance. In addition, the SR-SIS voted at its business meeting to donate $500 out of its treasury to each school district. Members donated personal checks worth $120. The media directors for both cities' public schools thanked AALL members for their generosity.

LITERACY BUILDS INDEPENDENCE, 2000
The SIS once again gave members of AALL a chance to give something back to our host city, Philadelphia, through volunteer efforts for the public school libraries. This year's program offered members a choice of two different days in which to volunteer time. Debra Gniewek, Director of the Public School Library System, made arrangements with different public school librarians for our volunteer efforts. Also, in an effort to make contributions to the schools, children's book donations were encouraged. The SIS itself gives $1,000 yearly to the host city's public school library program.

A CAPITAL CONTRIBUTION, 1999
We selected the Adams Elementary School library as the primary beneficiary of "A Capital Contribution" in Washington, D.C. Teams of volunteers went out to the school on Wednesday, July 21, an effort coordinated by Karen Westwood. It was a huge success, with efforts from about 25-30 members going into the public schools and donating their time and talents to the school libraries in need. These contributions ranged from reading to children, cataloguing, computer troubleshooting, weeding, or clerical help.