Support The 8th Jamaicans.com Annual Jamaica Book Drive.
The next three months, (April – June 2008) Jamaicans.com is holding a book drive to benefit the Allen-Shaw Reading Room in Jamaica with a goal of collecting 80 children’s books by June 30th, 2008. We are asking for your help. We hope to distribute the books in Jamaica by July 31st, 2008.
Click here to Donate a book now !!!
Book Drive Partner
Allen-Shaw Reading Room Mission Statement: To provide children in rural Jamaica with knowledge through books and cutting edge computer technology. To give them a window of opportunity to life beyond their limited boundaries and give them desire and hope to strive for excellence.
2007 Book Drive Thank You Letter From the Allen-Shaw Foundation, Inc
Thank You – Jamaicans.com 2007 Book Drive
My sister the transplanted Jamaican wondered aloud if the children were actually going to sit on the marl mound to read the books, instead of taking them home. We had to explain to her, how eager the children were for the books that are donated each year from the Jamaicans.com Annual Book Drive. Her wonderment allowed her to take the picture above, which is such a money shot and speaks to the excitement we get when we see children engrossed in reading. Besides, the more books they get to read on the library grounds, the more books they get to take home. It becomes a game of reading, sharing and exchanging.
Although I have this organization that is all about words and writing, I find it hard to articulate how important it is, this light that you are giving to the children of the community. However, there is a picture that I captured from the 2006 Book Drive when we were opening the boxes which to me says it all. I watched as the daughter of the Library Volunteer “helped” to unpack one of the boxes, she became excited as she pulled out Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee, and turned to her mother and said “look yah mammy, she look like me”. Dear Supporters, I want to let you know that you have come through on so many levels. The books that you have donated whether it was Caribbean themed fiction, history, nonfiction, books by Black and Caribbean authors and general children books are working to reinforce to the community that they are significant. Sometimes that is all that is needed to push a human forward. Thank you on behalf of the community of Resource District, Jamaica
Regards,
Paula Shaw, Founder/Chairperson, Allen-Shaw Foundation, Inc