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2017 Books for Schools

Tuesday, December 5th, 2017

Thanks + Giving = Books for Children

 

Dear Members,

The 2017 Books for Schools Donation Campaign is nearly finished.  The last 4 schools are up and collecting donations of PBS Credits and PBS Money. This year we are hoping to give 10,750 books to 9 deserving schools across the county and we have almost reached our goal. Most of us can’t imagine what a childhood without books would have been like. Please help us to get books in the hands of children and to share the love of reading with them. These are children who may never otherwise have a book to call their own. 

We have nine participating schools this year from all over the country, including a school in Florida that was affected by Hurricane Irma, a school in Texas that has taken on students displaced by the flooding from Hurricane Harvey, and a school in Queens that has a high percentage of its students living with nonparents, in foster or shelter situations. You can read more about each school on the Books for Schools page where you can also donate Book Credits or PBS Money.

It’s the best kind of holiday glow…giving the gift of reading.

May your holidays be full of love and laughter and books!

Richard and
The PaperBackSwap Team

 

Jerrie and Richard visit Midway Elementary to distribute books

Thursday, May 18th, 2017
In our recent Books for Kids donation campaign, our generous members donated enough credits and PBS Money to provide 12,511 books to needy children in Georgia. Richard Pickering, President and Founder invited long-time PaperBackSwap member, Jerri Adkins, to join him in distributing books to the students at Midway Elementary. Jerrie, herself, donated all 1200 credits for this school! Below are their memories of that special day.

 

Dear Members,
We all work very hard at PaperBackSwap to bring you the best in swapping books all over the USA.  And our club members are the best!

 

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Recently, due to your generosity, I had the opportunity to hand out new books to kids at Midway Elementary School (preK – 5th grade).  These kids do not get much in the way of gifts and have a very tough life.  I was honored to be able to hand out these books due to the generosity of so many of you who donated credits in order to make this happen.

 

The smiles on their faces were priceless.  When I explained that they could take 2 new books home with them, they could not believe it.  Many of them brought thank you cards.  And here are a few pictures from the actually event where we met the kids.

 

I can not tell you how proud I am of each and every one of you who made a donation (either with credits, money for shipping, or both).  We have a wonderful community of members who truly care – about each other and through the gift of giving.  Thank you so much for all that you do in making PBS a blessed place to share our love of reading!

 

Richard Pickering
President and Founder of PaperBackSwap

 

 Midway one

 

Y’all know about the School Donation Program, yeah?  It’s one of our very favorite holiday things to do.  It’s such a kick, to donate to a dozen schools in ten states.  Last year, I’d been saving up credits all year, looking forward to it.  But it’s popular, and folks are generous, so it fills up fast.  I wound up with lots of extra credits left over, and jumped up and down a bit.
 
Richard contacted me about something more local with a school he had worked with before.  Now, ego-boost aside, the whole point is to get books to the kids.  (When a book in my house becomes both a book in someone else’s house and a book in a kid’s hands, that’s math I can get behind!)  He did the legwork, and I did the driving (all two hours of it, with a stop to change, so the kids would feel important enough to get dressed-up for).
 
When I got there, I found out he’d been, as the saying goes, busy to some purpose.  There were boxes of books, half a hallway wide, over a classroom long, and nearly ceiling-high.  Richard said, because of doing so many schools close together, he’d been able to get a great break on the shipping, & so get lots more books.  (More math wins!)
 
Fortunately, the media specialists had already sorted out the books for Midway onto age-appropriate tables.  We had to keep shooing the smaller kids away from the big-kid table, as one does.  They brought them in, wave on wave, class after class.  Surf’s up!  I was very grateful Richard & the others were there to help.
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It was all an excited, rainbow-butterfly blur for several hours.  Several of the classes made adorable thank-you cards.  Richard kept directing them to me (possibly because I’d brought a bag?).  The children were very excited about the books, talking about reading them, selecting some for siblings, possibly swapping them out in their classrooms, etc.
 
It was lots of fun, but draining.  I was very glad to have done it.  Best of all, there’s now a summer program, so everyone can get in on the fun.
 midway two
Jerrie Adkins
PaperBackSwap Member

 

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Announcing Books for Kids 2017!

Wednesday, April 19th, 2017

And now donations are Tax Deductible too!

Just got your taxes done? Wish you had had more deductions? We have good news! Now, when you donate credits or PBS money to our Books for Kids donation program, you can claim those charitable contributions on your Federal taxes.*

A love of reading has a lifelong impact — no one knows that better than a member of PaperBackSwap! We’re constantly being asked by members if we can expand our annual Books for Schools campaign, to get more books to more needy kids. We set out to find more organizations who would like new books. We didn’t have to look very far: sadly, PaperBackSwap’s home state of Georgia’s school system is ranked 32nd in the US, and it has the largest dropout rate in the country. We plan to select a different US state for each future round of donations.

Our goal is to give each child 2 books for their summer reading. All the teachers are being encouraged to ask the kids to bring the books back to the classes in the Fall, so that they can swap them with other kids. A great way to learn about sharing!

Click Here to Donate

Our list of recipients includes five Title I schools (meaning each school has a high percentage of children from low-income families) and a summer camp for kids:

Since these are all 501-C3 organizations, PBS Money and Book Credits donated to them can be recognized as tax deductions on your Federal tax forms. *

You can make your donations of Book Credits and/or PBS Money to either the schools or the camp  (or both if you like!).

Click Here to Donate

We’re thrilled to note that one of our members, Jerrie , volunteered to donate ALL of the credits to supply one of the schools (Midway). A huge donation from a huge heart! Thank you, Jerrie — the students at Midway will love their books! If you have a lot of credits, and want to make a big donation, please contact us for help facilitating that.

We thank all of our members who donate — no donation is too small! Every single Book Credit turns into a book for a child, and a single book has the power to change a life, as PaperBackSwap members surely know.

We believe that fostering an early love of reading helps kids all through their lives! Thanks for considering a donation of some of your unused credits and PBS Money to these worthy charities.

Richard and
The PaperBackSwap Team
www.PaperBackSwap.com

 

*We can’t offer tax advice, so please consult your tax preparer to discuss this in more detail — she or he may want to consider the cost to you when taking the deductions for Book Credits. For example, if you purchased the Credit from the Kiosk, then that price could serve as the basis of your tax estimate, whereas if you mailed a book to earn the Credit, then the cost of the postage, wrapping materials and gas expense to visit the Post Office could all be figured in. Again, please talk to your tax preparer about how best to take advantage of making a donation to a charity.

Books for Schools 2016

Thursday, December 8th, 2016

Dear Members,

Books for Schools 2016 is nearly complete! As of right now, the last 2 schools are up collecting donations. That will make the total donation this year 11,750 books for 8 deserving elementary schools.

Some of these children have never had a book to call their own. Through our generous members, the Books for Schools donation program changes that!

We thank you for helping to put hands in the books of these students and for sharing the joy of reading.

We thought you may want to see why we LOVE this program. These are just some of the photos we have received from our recipient schools over the years. Seeing the joy on the children’s faces makes us smile.

In Gratitude,
Richard and The PaperBackSwap Team

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Books for Schools 2016

Monday, November 28th, 2016

motd BFS 2016 altDear Members,

The air has a chill, the days are shorter, and the leaves are turning: autumn in all its glory has come. We’ve just finished up a weekend of family, food, friends and counting our blessings; now it’s time to hang the outdoor decorations and plunge into the whole week of Cyber Monday deals! We hope that you’re finding all the things on your lists.

The passing of Thanksgiving means it’s not only holiday-shopping time, it’s also time for the return of Books for Schools! So many of you have asked when it would start up again, and we’re happy to say that the day is here: Monday, November 28th 2016! What better season to share our love of reading with children across the country who may never otherwise have a book to call their own? Most of us can’t imagine what a childhood without books would have been like. Please take a few minutes to help these children learn the joy of reading. This year we have schools from Mississippi to Illinois, and Minnesota to Tennessee. You can read more about each school on the Books for Schools page where you can also donate Book Credits or PBS Money.

In all the holiday hubbub, we do hope that you find some time to turn some leaves yourself…BOOK leaves! No matter how busy things get, give yourself a time out whenever you can and find a cozy spot, conjure up a cup of tea or hot cocoa (don’t neglect the marshmallows!), and open up a good book. You deserve it!

Richard and
The PaperBackSwap Team

PS. If you know of a school that serves needy children and you would like to suggest it as a Books for Schools participant for next year, please submit the information here.

 

 

Books for Schools 2014

Saturday, December 6th, 2014

Dear Members,BFS 2014 click apple

So many of you have asked when our school donation program will launch again – we’re happy to announce that Books for Schools 2014 is now live!

Each year PaperBackSwap, through our generous members, donates brand-new books to selected deserving elementary schools across the country.

The goal of the program is to provide children with books that they can read for pleasure. Most of us in the club learned the love of reading at an early age, and this is a great opportunity to share that joy. In the past three years PaperBackSwap and our members have donated over 70,000 new books!

Last year, we reached our goal of 25,000 books sent to 24 deserving elementary schools. Check the details of last year’s recipient schools to see wonderful photos of the children receiving the books (here is an example from last year), and see their thank-you cards. If you know of an elementary school in need, suggest it here and we will consider it for our next Books for School donation drive.

Your donation of credits and/or PaperBackSwap Money (which is used to defray some of the shipping costs) or both help us to put books in the hands of children. Together PaperBackSwap and our wonderful members do make a difference!

Most of the participating schools this year are large, with enrollments of between 400 and 700. The school roster includes a special-ed school in AL, and a school in WV that does not actually have its own library – the local library they visit weekly has stepped up to collect and distribute books to the students (bravo to them for helping with this)!

And those of you who read the blog post about our visit to the Belize Children’s Home might want to look in on the Adopt-a-School drive for the abused and abandoned children who are being lovingly cared for there.

Thanks in advance for your help – the kids really appreciate the books!

Richard and
The PaperBackSwap Team

 

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The Joy of Books, A Word from our Founder

Monday, November 17th, 2014

By Richard Pickering, PBS FounderThe Joy of Books

I knew that the 2014 PaperBackSwap Cruise would be a great time to meet club members, participate in book-themed events, and share in our love of reading. It was going to be fun (and it was)! But I never expected that our itinerary held an event that would affect me deeply.

As the cruise ship pulled into Belize, I was informed that there was a surprise event scheduled, in which I would be needed to participate.  “Dress appropriately, as a representative of PaperBackSwap,” Cheryl G. (Poncer) said. That was all I was told.

About a dozen of us —PBS members and some staff — got off the boat and made our way to the taxi stand, where we boarded a van that whisked us away. As the roads became bumpier and turned from asphalt to hard-pack dirt and stone, my curiosity mounted. “Where are we going?” I asked. The rest of the group smiled knowingly, and Cheryl G assured me that this would be an adventure that I would never forget for the rest of my life.

We headed into the heart of the country, passing small farms and an occasional building that boasted some small trade or service for the local population. Finally the van slowed, and the driver leaned out the window to ask directions. We were in the middle of a very rural area – I could see thatched roofs around us, and I learned later there was no running water and almost no electricity. We were in the proverbial “middle of nowhere.” Liberty Children's Village in Ladyville, Belize

The van turned down one last dirt road. There was a gate at the end, and beyond that, the building that was apparently our destination. Finally, I was let in on the secret: this was a small orphanage, home to 42 children whose parents had died of AIDS.

The staff greeted us with open arms and thanked us for coming.  Many of the older children were in school, but the younger ones were there, and anxious to meet us.  We went into the day care center, which was very clean and nicely appointed. The high ceilings and fans kept the room cool, and the walls were covered with drawings that the children had made and gold stars for good behavior or outstanding scholarship.

Another surprise! The group (led by Gail P.(TinkerPirate and Cheryl G. Poncer) had brought along over 100 books for the kids, carrying them in their luggage onto the cruise. That was enough so that each child would get a couple of books, with plenty more to share with each other. I read a story aloud to the kids, about a farmer with a problem – cows that could type! The cows had a lot of demands for the farmer. It was a fun story, and the kids were very attentive. After the story, our team distributed the books and also gifts that the group had brought, and then we spent some time playing games with the kids.  After goodbyes and hugs, it was time to leave.

Click Clack Moo, Cows That TypeCheryl had been right — I would never forget the day, the kids, the orphanage staff who took such loving care of them, the appreciation for the books and our visit. It was so moving to consider the life that the kids had led, the circumstances that brought them to this place, and the life ahead of them.  I was proud of our group for coming up with the idea to visit the orphanage. On top of planning all the fun events of the PaperBackSwap Cruise, they had gone deeper and found a way to give back. How typical of PaperBackSwap members! It’s been 10 years since the club’s launch, and the generosity and kindness of our membership continues to amaze me.

It’s the kind of giving that makes our Books for Schools campaign such a success every year. So many members have asked us when the next Books for Schools will go live. We’re happy to say that BFS 2014 will be launching very soon! We are planning to begin right after Thanksgiving.


You can read about Books for Schools,  see a list and details of previous participating schools, suggest schools for future inclusion, and if you want to get a head start on donating before the BFS 2014 launch, you can use the Give Credits button on this page.

Our thoughts and prayers remain with those children in Belize. May God bless each and every one of them, and guide them in their lives going forward. And may God bless each and every one of our club members. We love your giving spirit!

cari

Thanks to all those who made the Orphanage visit happen: Gail P (tinkerpirate), Cheryl G (Poncer),  Ajay I., Barbara S (barbelaine1), Cari (ladycari), Kareena I., Len S (lens), Marie N (pottergal), Rick (RickMatt) , Sonal S (ComeGo), our driver Stanley, the staff at the orphanage including Director Agatha Valentine, and of course the kids!!!

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