Helping Hamilton County Grow...One Mind at a Time
When you sell (give) a man a book you don't sell (give) just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue. You sell (give) him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night - there's all heaven & earth in a book - a real book. Christopher Morley
Here's what we're doing through the bookstore in Aurora (with the "behind the idea information below"). We're trying to raise enough money over each year to give away 5000 books in our county per year.
I got this idea from a bookstore that worked with the school I taught at in California. The bookstore owner did this with the businesses & I've just never taken the time to try to pull it off here. Now I have the time to pull it together. We're going to give books at the hospitals (immunization clinics, births, and doctors/nurses books to have to give away, grief books to those going through painful times, books to the kids at the schools that teachers can use any way they wish, ....I've listed who I've talked to so far that are in on it. Don't feel bad at all if it's not what you can do, but if you can, I could really use the help to fund this & that would be great.
Below are more details on how much the books cost wholesale. I am coordinating this, but businesses are making it work out. You can deduct it as an advertising expense because I can put your business on the certificates for the students & in bookmarks that I give out in all the books here at the store. Your business will be on the list for all of Aurora, too (hospital, schools....it's a list of all involved in the county project) I'll be printing those next week.
Thanks for thinking about this. We could use your help, but aren't in the least offended if you can't!!! (grin) I'll talk to you later - you can e-mail me (family@hamilton.net) or call (402-694-2244)...doesn't matter in the least to me. Thank you!!! Susan
Goal - 5000 books to give away annually in Hamilton County to those hurting in grief, personal situations, children, elderly in Hamilton County. The books are being paid for from your donations ($35,000 annual donations to meet the needs that I've thought of below...you may have more suggestions to add.) If you can help that would be great.
Businesses can use their gift as a deduction, any of you that can help on your own can also let me know if you have a specific area on the goal list you'd like your money to go to. We've had memoriam gifts that have gone directly to the books on grief. We've had grandparent gifts ask to go directly to specific local schools. Thank you so much for helping make this possible. I truly believe in the power of a book - often times picked up at midnight by who is hurting… collections to begin for children. Love this! Love that we're doing it together!!! Thank you!!!! Susan
Where we stand as of July 8, 2010. $8,500 of $35,000.
Businesses Involved So Far:
A-May-Zing Construction (Hampton)
A&K Plumbing/Heating (Masters, Inc.)
ABC General Contractors
Advantage Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, Inc.
Aurora Coop
Aurora Dental Clinic - Dr. Michael Allen, D.D.S.
Aurora Meat Block
Aurora Physical Therapy
Cline, Williams, Wright, Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P.
Cornerstone Bank
Cornerstone Insurance
Custom Wood Products (Henderson)
Curves
Danish Oak (Hampton)
Del-Ray Manufacturing
Dohman, Akerlund & Eddy, LLC
Eberly & Sons Trucking
Edward Jones Investments
Espressions Coffee Shop
GE Peters, Inc.
Grain Place Foods
Great Plains Meter
Green Line Equipment (John Deere)
Grosshans International
Hamilton Equipment
Hamilton Telecommunications
Henderson Meat Processors
Heritage Bank
Interstate Batteries
James D. Anderson, D.D.S.
Jim’s USave
Jones Dental Clinic
Jazzercize
Main St. Salon (Hampton)
McDonalds
Mindware Logic Games (Publisher Donation)
Nelson Land Development
Nelson Transport
Obermeiers Appliance Repair
Paschke Brothers Construction
Pinnacle Bank
Potts & Levering PC
Proctor & Gamble (Iams)
Professional Building Inspections, Inc. (Hampton)
Rex Richter Trucking, Inc.
Rickert Insurance (Hampton)
Runza
Sack Lumber Co.
Shelter Insurance
Stettner Trucking
Sukup Manufacturing
Sullivan Animal Clinic
Thomas Realty
TO Haas
Touch of Health
Todd's Body & Glass
Willis General Contracting
Wortman Motor Co.
Behind the Idea:
For years we have wanted to be able to give to give "book certificates" to reward older kids that are involved in extra-curricular academic/community work (non-sport...FBLA, FCG, Speech, 4-H, Boy Scouts, etc.) The younger children at the schools would be able to pick whatever book they would like at the store with their certificate, so the book they receive is one they are proud to own.
We also have wanted to give books to new parents at the hospital (a board book by Sandra Boynton or Bill Martin) & books called Great Books for Boys (Girls) Ages 2-14 at immunization clinics with descriptions of 600 books in each book for the new parents to have for a reference on books to get in their homes.
We have also wanted to give a book to those in the community dealing with grief...and.....we would also like for the hospital to have books that are selected by the individual nurses and doctors to give out to their patients behind the scenes of what we cannot know about because of their confidentiality rules - books that would help families dealing with different situations (including books given to those with handicapped children).
The businesses in our community are working together, along with private contributions...knowing that we all care, we just don't know what we can do. Collaboratively we can accomplish an amazing amount. Once we get this program going, then we can each year ask for sponsors (assuming that once it's in place it won't be a challenge to keep growing)....there truly isn't a limit. We haven't included Sutton, Harvard)....there really isn't an end to where the outreach could go. Showing that we all do care....
