"Reading for Relief" Project - A Personal Story
A personal account of my encounter with the "Reading for Relief" Project
by bothynightsJanuary 24, 2006
Well, I almost made it through 2 years of ignoring the “Call for Writers” that has faithfully appeared in the numerous BookCrossing Newsletters that have graced my inbox since joining BookCrossing in March of 2004. I even did so relatively guilt free -–
after all, I’ve never really considered myself much of a writer (there are millions of those out there, so why try to compete!) and even more importantly, I had nothing to write about! However, in October of this year, this excuse (at least the one of having
nothing to write about), came to an end :) So now, I’ve decided to share my story…
Although I believe that this story, which is one that exemplifies the serendipity and joy that is so often related with BookCrossing, will be of interest to most BookCrossers, those familiar with the “Reading for Relief” project might find this tale of particular interest.
For those unfamiliar with the “Reading for Relief” project (refer to the article in the Oct. 05 Newsletter), it was an initiative by two senior Girl Scouts, “picky88” and “goldlis”, to establish BookCrossing Zones in hurricane shelters for Katrina and Rita evacuees. These books would then be distributed to some of the thousands of people in these shelters. Even though their project has now officially ended, I would like to take a moment to write about my own chance encounter with the project and some of the joy I personally saw that was a direct result of the girls’ initiative.
I spent from mid-October to early November as a volunteer for the Red Cross assisting in relief operations for Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. During the first stage of my deployment, I was based out of the hurricane shelter at Kelly USA (Building 171) (near San Antonio, Texas) for Katrina and Rita evacuees.
A few days after I arrived, I happened to meet a girl in the corridor who asked me if I knew where she could drop off some books. After chatting for a few moments, she mentioned that she was donating books to the shelter through the “Reading for Relief” project that she and another girl had initiated as part of their “Gold Award Project” for Girl Scouts. When she mentioned the word “BookCrossing”, my eyes must have lit up! What are the chances that I should meet someone else who not only knew about BookCrossing, but was responsible for spearheading such a worthwhile and ambitious project related to it! I directed her to another volunteer who had been expecting her.
Later that day, I took a closer look at the section near the shelter cafeteria that had been designated as a library of sorts where folks could take books for free (and sure enough, many of the books were BookCrossing books!). I consequently had a lovely chat with a soft spoken, highly educated man (an evacuee from New Orleans) who had appointed himself to voluntarily tend this library, and who had all the books immaculately organized. He knew where every genre and author was. During our chat, a sweet, shy woman briefly interrupted to ask him for his help in selecting a book. He asked her what type, and when she said she liked “scary books”, his hand immediately plucked a couple from the upper section of one of the shelves. She was ecstatic!
Several days after my encounter with the Girl Scout, about 150 evacuees from another shelter were transferred into the Kelly USA (Building 171) Shelter. A few hours after these folks had arrived, I chatted to one woman who was literally in tears because she was so excited - for she had just visited the library and was clutching 3 or 4 books – she told me that she had found some “King” and “Grisham” that she had not read before.
During the remainder of my time at that particular shelter (10 days in total), I saw several of the evacuees curled up on their cots or sipping coffee in the cafeteria reading various books. Undoubtedly, several of these books were a direct result of this project.
As most BookCrossers know, we often do not hear from the books we release into the wild, and we may never know the fate of these books or how their release has touched the lives of those who have found them. I do not know if “picky88” or “goldlis” are aware of the joy and comfort that they have provided to so many people through their “Reading for Relief” project. However, I do know that I personally saw many examples of how their simple act of providing some good books has touched the lives of at least some of these people who are going through such a difficult time - for we all know the comfort and temporary escape that a good book can provide.
Hopefully these girls will get a chance to read this article so that they will know, at least in part, that they succeeded in their mission, and that their efforts touched many, many people – including me.
Although I believe that this story, which is one that exemplifies the serendipity and joy that is so often related with BookCrossing, will be of interest to most BookCrossers, those familiar with the “Reading for Relief” project might find this tale of particular interest.
For those unfamiliar with the “Reading for Relief” project (refer to the article in the Oct. 05 Newsletter), it was an initiative by two senior Girl Scouts, “picky88” and “goldlis”, to establish BookCrossing Zones in hurricane shelters for Katrina and Rita evacuees. These books would then be distributed to some of the thousands of people in these shelters. Even though their project has now officially ended, I would like to take a moment to write about my own chance encounter with the project and some of the joy I personally saw that was a direct result of the girls’ initiative.
I spent from mid-October to early November as a volunteer for the Red Cross assisting in relief operations for Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. During the first stage of my deployment, I was based out of the hurricane shelter at Kelly USA (Building 171) (near San Antonio, Texas) for Katrina and Rita evacuees.
A few days after I arrived, I happened to meet a girl in the corridor who asked me if I knew where she could drop off some books. After chatting for a few moments, she mentioned that she was donating books to the shelter through the “Reading for Relief” project that she and another girl had initiated as part of their “Gold Award Project” for Girl Scouts. When she mentioned the word “BookCrossing”, my eyes must have lit up! What are the chances that I should meet someone else who not only knew about BookCrossing, but was responsible for spearheading such a worthwhile and ambitious project related to it! I directed her to another volunteer who had been expecting her.
Later that day, I took a closer look at the section near the shelter cafeteria that had been designated as a library of sorts where folks could take books for free (and sure enough, many of the books were BookCrossing books!). I consequently had a lovely chat with a soft spoken, highly educated man (an evacuee from New Orleans) who had appointed himself to voluntarily tend this library, and who had all the books immaculately organized. He knew where every genre and author was. During our chat, a sweet, shy woman briefly interrupted to ask him for his help in selecting a book. He asked her what type, and when she said she liked “scary books”, his hand immediately plucked a couple from the upper section of one of the shelves. She was ecstatic!
Several days after my encounter with the Girl Scout, about 150 evacuees from another shelter were transferred into the Kelly USA (Building 171) Shelter. A few hours after these folks had arrived, I chatted to one woman who was literally in tears because she was so excited - for she had just visited the library and was clutching 3 or 4 books – she told me that she had found some “King” and “Grisham” that she had not read before.
During the remainder of my time at that particular shelter (10 days in total), I saw several of the evacuees curled up on their cots or sipping coffee in the cafeteria reading various books. Undoubtedly, several of these books were a direct result of this project.
As most BookCrossers know, we often do not hear from the books we release into the wild, and we may never know the fate of these books or how their release has touched the lives of those who have found them. I do not know if “picky88” or “goldlis” are aware of the joy and comfort that they have provided to so many people through their “Reading for Relief” project. However, I do know that I personally saw many examples of how their simple act of providing some good books has touched the lives of at least some of these people who are going through such a difficult time - for we all know the comfort and temporary escape that a good book can provide.
Hopefully these girls will get a chance to read this article so that they will know, at least in part, that they succeeded in their mission, and that their efforts touched many, many people – including me.
