Knowing that sometimes, the books I send will be the first a child will ever hold, or will ever experience, creates a bond between me and them across an ocean and from a distance of thousands of miles.  It makes me feel rich, and sets context for all that I’ve experienced in life so far.  I know what books have done for me: they’re my inspiration, my muse, and my friend.  Giving this to someone else who otherwise might not be able to experience it at all creates a deep and positive compassion. 

Blog by Katheen Long, Brand New 2014 ALP Board Member and Editorial Lead

People who volunteer their time to worthy causes always say they receive more good than they give.  But what does that mean exactly?  What gifts does doing a book drive for African Library Project bring?

Expanded Community

I’m in the middle of my 6th library with African Library Project.  Because the African Library Project website makes it easy for me to set up a webpage where I can describe my book drive efforts and provide donors a way to reach me about book donations, I’m always contacted by strangers, who simply want to donate books. 

In one case, I was contacted by a woman in her mid-eighties, who had been storing treasured books from her childhood in her closet, waiting for the perfect opportunity to give them away.  She found that opportunity in my book drive, and Hilda met me in the lobby at my office to bring me the books and give me a hug.  I took a few moments out of an otherwise hectic day to sit in perfect peace and look at the illustrations and stories so dear to her, knowing that an entire community of children halfway round the world was going to feel the same way about them.

 I also get to reconnect with friends I don’t get to see often, who bring me monetary donations, gift cards for new books, and the books their children have outgrown. 

More Joy

Books are such precious objects to so many people.  I conduct my book drives at work, and my co-workers always bring me their books with a smile, and a short story about where the books came from and how they selected them.  Sometimes, they sit with a favorite and share a memory.  I’m able to know and appreciate these beautiful people on a multi-dimensional level after doing a book drive and it brings us closer together as a work community.  They’re happy to be able to participate in something meaningful and I am happy to see their faces light up when I receive their selections.

Heightened Awareness

I grew up in poverty, at least according to North American standards.  But I never wanted for books.  I was rich with them, never far from a library or a school where books abounded, able to trade them with friends, or purchase them for a dime from a garage sale.  Knowing that sometimes, the books I send will be the first a child will ever hold, or will ever experience, creates a bond between me and them across an ocean and from a distance of thousands of miles.  It makes me feel rich, and sets context for all that I’ve experienced in life so far.  I know what books have done for me: they’re my inspiration, my muse, and my friend.  Giving this to someone else who otherwise might not be able to experience it at all creates a deep and positive compassion. 

And, as a mother, being able to pass all of this on to my teenage son, who participates in each and every book drive, is a priceless gift.