Sharing the gift of literacy

Often times when we hear the phrase "giving back" we think it's an ideal idea.  It's always a wonderful idea to give something to someone when they need it, especially if we are in abundance.  But we often think "I just don't have enough money to spare..." or "I don't know how..." or "how can I be sure my donation will be received by the proper party?"

I've found a site that allows students, educators, scholars and anyone with books to give to those that are lacking literature.  The site is called bookmentors.org It is a national non-profit agency that allows those with books to give to classrooms that are in need.  It's very simple.  You can create an account, search by school or by book and send.  Sometimes teachers request class sets, but sometimes they only request a few books.  The site is easily navigable, and you have the option to request or send less than a class set.  Some teachers are looking for as few as 4 copies of a text.  In order to request books, your school must be listed on the site http://www.greatschools.org/find-schools/ .

I really can't think of a great way to promote literacy especially to students in schools who need more books.

Some ideas I have are suggesting that students in my current classes give up one of their texts to donate to bookmentors.  I even wonder if I could convince my class to send a set.  I know it's hard to give up a book, especially if you are an educator or college student....but I just think this is a unique way to promote literacy because you can share a specific book with a specific class or teacher.

If you have the time, please check out bookmentors today.