General News and Information
A number of book-and-reading-related organizations have begun fundraising programs to aid areas affected by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. CBC will list the initiatives of organizations with whom we have formal liaisons or other close ties.
Book- and Library-Related Activities
ABA/Bookseller Relief Fund
The American Booksellers Association is announcing the creation of a Bookseller Relief Fund to assist independent booksellers affected by Hurricane Katrina. Contributions to the fund will be accepted, and ABA is seeding the relief fund with an opening donation of $25,000. Checks should be made payable to ABA/Bookseller Relief Fund and sent to:
ABA
200 White Plains Road
Tarrytown, NY 10591
Please write "Bookseller Relief" on the outside of the envelope.
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American Library Association: News and Resources
The American Library Association website at www.ala.org/ala/cro/katrina/katrina.htm contains information on Dues Relief for ALA Members in the affected areas, How to Help, Employment Resources, Disaster Recovery and Preservation, Hurricane Assistance Links provided by the State Library of Louisiana, Reading Resources to Help Victims Cope, and General Relief Information. This site contains ongoing news coverage on how the hurricane has affected librarians, libraries, and collections. Anyone with first-hand information is encouraged to contact geberhart@ala.org, lclark@ala.org, and mdowling@ala.org.
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American Public School Endowments Katrina relief donation program
The Acadiana Educational Endowment (AEE), founded in 1989 by a group of citizens from across Acadiana (the Cajun country of south Louisiana), is believed to be the first comprehensive foundation for public education in the world. All donations made to The American Public School Endowments (APSE) through booksXYZ—created by AEE and its affiliate APSE to generate support for US public education—will go to help rebuild school districts in the hurricane-ravaged areas. Checks may be mailed to:
booksXYZ
412 Travis St.
Lafayette, LA 70503
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Book Relief
First Book is launching Book Relief in response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. The goal of Book Relief is to distribute at least 5 million books to displaced children and adults, and to schools and literacy programs embracing the evacuees, and eventually to replenish schools and libraries in the Gulf Coast as they are rebuilt. This publishing industry-wide initiative includes the major publishers, the Children's Book Council, the Library of Congress, the Association of American Publishers and many others who are joining daily. The initiative is already providing books—more than 70,000 have already been shipped to Katrina's youngest victims. This long-term relief project is expected to last at least two to three years. Book Relief also involves a public call to action: The public is being asked to "sponsor" books (every $.50 donation will sponsor one book) to raise the necessary funds to help First Book in its efforts. Visit www.firstbook.org for additional information and updates.
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Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival and USM School of Library & Information Science Book Drive for Gulf Coast Libraries
The "10,000 Books" relief effort has been established to help replenish the children's literature departments of the more than 10 public libraries along the Mississippi Gulf Coast severely or completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and is soliciting donations of new children's and young adult books from publishers, authors, illustrators, and other concerned parties. The books will be distributed by the Student Association of the University of Southern Mississippi School of Library & Information Science. Gift plates will be inserted at the request of the donor. For more information, please contact Dr. Catharine Bomhold at 601 266-4228 or send donations directly to:
10,000 BOOKS
c/o The USM School of Library and Information Science
2609 West 4th Street
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
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First Book
See Book Relief, above.
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IRA special fund for Katrina relief
IRA is accepting cash donations in support of relief efforts for regions of the US Gulf Coast affected by Hurricane Katrina. IRA will focus contributions on the needs of children and schools in the disaster area. Please make your check payable to "International Reading Association" and mail it to:
IRA Katrina Relief
800 Barksdale Road
Newark, Delaware 19714-8139, USA.
Include the notation "IRA Katrina Relief" on your check. All funds received by IRA will be used directly for relief efforts. More information will be posted on the IRA website as specific initiatives are developed.
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Louisiana Library Association Disaster Relief Fund
The Louisiana Library Association (LLA) Disaster Relief Fund is now accepting monetary donations to assist school, public, and academic library restoration efforts in Southeastern Louisiana. Please make checks payable to LLA-Disaster Relief and mail to:
LLA
421 South 4th St.
Eunice, LA 70535
—Beverly E. Laughlin, Executive Director
Louisiana Library Association
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SCBWI: Hurricane Katrina Relief for and from Members
If you are an SCBWI Member in need of help because of Hurricane Katrina, whether it be transportation, food, shelter, or other services, please phone the SCBWI Hurricane Hotline at 1-877-547-2294. If you are an SCBWI Member in Texas, Mississippi, Florida, Missouri, Georgia, or another nearby state, and would like to offer any of the above, please e-mail helpinghand@scbwi.org with your contact information and what help you can offer. The SCBWI will be assembling Comfort Kits for children and are asking SCBWI members to donate new or like-new books, new toys and stuffed animals, or monetary donations (made payable to SCBWI Katrina Relief Fund) by September 25th to:
SCBWI Hurricane Help
8271 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Further information: www.scbwi.org/katrina.htm
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Texas Library Association's Disaster Relief Fund
The Texas Library Association has been expanded to collect donations for libraries in the Gulf Coast area. TLA is also developing a plan to accept recent issue books in good condition for shipment to the affected states at an appropriate time.
Donate online at /www.txla.org/temp/DisasterRelief.html.
If you prefer, mail a check payable to the Texas Library Association to:
Texas Library Association
3355 Bee Cave Road, Suite 401
Austin, TX 78746
Funds for Louisiana can also be sent directly to the Louisiana Library Association Disaster Relief Fund.
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CBC Member Activities
CBC member publishers are taking an active role in all aspects of hurricane relief. As these programs develop, we will post details below. Please check back regularly.
Just Us Books: Katrina Collective National Book Donation Drive
Just Us Books has donated more than a thousand books to several hurricane relief centers in Louisiana and Texas. Just Us Books is also a founding member of a Katrina Collective National Book Donation Drive, comprised of black publishing companies, booksellers, and others in the publishing industry. The goal is to collect 30,000 books to distribute to centers, churches, and other locations where victims are housed. To date, more than 6000 books have been collected. Visit the website at www.justusbooks.com/KatrinaRelief.html for more information. Just Us Books has already sent a donation of books to the Houston Sun, a black weekly newspaper collecting and distributing books to victims of Katrina in the Houston area. The paper has secured space to warehouse books and has vans to distribute books to the various centers, churches and homes where evacuees are living. Books can be sent to:
Ms. Dorris Ellis
Houston Sun
1520 Isabella Street
Houston, TX 77288
713 443-8774
For more information, please feel free to phone Ms. Ellis.
Penguin Group: Disaster Fund and Mobile Classrooms
Pearson/Penguin Group (USA) has opened the Pearson Hurricane Katrina Disaster Fund with $500,000 and will match all employee donations to it or to a charity of the employee's choice. The fund will focus on helping students, teachers, and schools recover. They are also providing three Pearson e-buses, the first of which is on its way to Texas with computers and instructional materials so that students can stay current with their studies, and so that high school students can complete the credits they need to get their diplomas. Penguin Group (USA) donated 15,000 children's books to be distributed by the Pearson Mobile Classrooms to temporary centers and other evacuee locations. Pearson's Government Solutions is providing volunteers to staff Red Cross call centers and is helping Health and Human Services locate emergency medical professionals. In addition, Pearson's school unit is working with affected school districts and cities that are taking on displaced students, replacing textbooks and materials, starting supply drives, and working with partners to provide backpacks and back-to-school items. Higher Ed is doing the same in colleges.
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Random House Donation and Matching Contribution
Random House announced that they will make a $500,000 donation to the American Red Cross's Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, along with matching employee contributions to all qualified relief aid organizations. Additionally, Random House Children's Books is donating 250,000 copies of their titles to First Book for distribution to children in the hardest-hit areas.
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Scholastic Contributions, Advice For Teachers of Evacuee Children
To address the critical need for assistance, Scholastic will make an immediate donation of $100,000 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and will match employee contributions. In addition, Scholastic Education and Scholastic Library Publishing divisions will make in-kind donations of books and other curriculum materials to local area schools receiving displaced students. Scholastic Book Fairs amd Book Clubs will coordinate school-based initiatives of book donations and direct donations to the region. In addition, Scholastic is providing age-appropriate news coverage and resources for children, parents, and teachers through Scholastic.com, Scholastic News Online (www.scholastic.com/news), and Scholastic Classroom Magazines. Teachers and parents can find advice on how to talk with children about the disaster, and there is specific advice for those teachers who are bringing evacuee children into their classrooms.
Habitat for Humanity and Scholastic
Beginning Monday, September 26, Rockefeller Plaza in NYC will become "Humanity Plaza" for five days as homes are built around the clock by Habitat for Humanity for later transportation. Here, children can write messages or draw pictures on bookplates to be inserted in a collection of books Scholastic will donate with each house. Those who cannot visit Humanity Plaza can download a template of the bookplate to mail to Scholastic.
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