Room to Read Birthday Appeal

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers."
- Charles W. Eliot, The Happy Life,1896


As you probably know my 34th birthday is coming up soon (March 31st) and this year I'm trying to raise money for a great and dear cause to me, an avid reader and former teacher, Room to Read (http://www.roomtoread.org/). I don't know if you ever heard about it or not, but if you are curious and interested, just click on the above link to learn more about this organization.

I've just read Leaving Microsoft to change the world by John Wood, the founder of Room to Read (http://www.leavingmicrosoftbook.com/). He founded Room to Read in 2000, when he was ONLY 35 years old! (I still have a year to think about something BIG as this, but for now, why not help him built more libraries, schools and fund girls' education in developing countries?). So far Room to Read has impacted the lives of over 1.7 million children by:
Constructing 442 schools
Establishing over 5,160 libraries
Publishing 226 new local language children's titles representing over 2 million books
Donating over 2.2 million English language children's books
Funding 4,036 long-term girls' scholarships
Establishing 155 computer and language labs

It's amazing the disparity in terms of education and access to books that children have throughout the world. It's sad to learn that here our children have access to books, libraries and education at an early age for free (or almost) and that in so many countries these things are not that common . It's hard for me to imagine my childhood, and now my daughters', without any books, without school, without libraries. In some countries, that's the reality. Sad. Poor. But we can change that reality if instead of that latte in the morning, that magazine in the afternoon, that pastry after lunch, that card and gift for my birthday, you just donate to Room to Read.

That's the best gift you can give me!

Every dollar is one book in the countries where Room to Read operates, so if you spend 5 dollars, you are giving 5 books, so you are allowing 5 children to read. Isn't it amazing that with so little you can do so much? With 250 dollars we can finance a girl's education for an entire year!

You can just donate cash if you're coming to my birthday party and I'll write a group check in the end to Room to Read and mail it, along with the names of the donors, to the headquarters in San Francisco. Ask for my address if you want to mail a check or Paypal account if you want to send money. I'll fill out a form for each check.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this long message and for helping this great cause.