BOATERS FOR BOOKS VOLUNTEERS & DONORS

Boaters for Books is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit literacy corporation celebrating its fourth year providing new and used books to young people throughout the Caribbean. It is an effort that requires many hearts and hands. Here we recognize some of those individuals, schools and organizations whose contributions have contributed to our success.

TROPICAL SHIPPING of Miami, Florida provides free shipping of donated books to the islands. “Without the generous support of the people of Tropical, we would be unable to fulfill our mission, explains Director Kathy Oberle (shown here with husband Dick), “donations can be used for books instead of covering the cost of shipping.”

Boaters for Books is grateful for the support and assistance of both the Seven Seas Cruising Association and Women Aboard, organizations that represent thousands of boaters worldwide. Members of these organizations and dozens of boating and non boating friends comprise a wonderful community dedicated to bringing the gift of reading to those less fortunate than ourselves. We are grateful as well for the endorsement and support of The Moorings, Ltd. (www.moorings.com) and the Moorings Owners Group. The Moorings is one of the world’s largest charter operators, with bases throughout the Caribbean, Europe and the Pacific.

Boaters for Books is deeply appreciative of the generous donations made by some very special Benefactors and Supporters.

Most notably, our special corporate donor, BRODART, INC, dedicated service to libraries for over 60 years! Please visit www.brodart.com. Learn more about this exceptional organization of dedicated employees. We received hundreds of re-cycled books from libraries served by BRODART, and those books are now being enjoyed yet again by young people in Carriacou, Grenada.

Margaret (Margie) Y. Langras of Waterloo, Iowa has become an exceptional benefactor. Her generosity will make it possible for us to help offset the cost of shipping books within the United States, and to purchase specific books requested by schools and libraries. She is pictured here with the entire Langras family.

We are working now on compiling a comprehensive list of financial contributors, all of whom have been personally acknowledged for their generosity.

For their book raising efforts, we wish to acknowledge the wonderful and ongoing work of the Rotary Clubs, most notably the Peekskill, New York and Greenhills, Tennessee chapters. The Peekskill Rotary has made Boaters for Books its international literacy project for three consecutive years. SSCA members Charlie and Linda Gruetzner have been instrumental in Peekskill.

Special thanks to the following donors for inventive and productive book raising campaigns:

• Mahopac (NY) High School Literacy Volunteers
• University of Maine Graduate Honors Program
• Shapleigh Memorial School, Maine
• Tom and Sally Stokes, Silver Springs, MD
• Captain Kim Ibasfalean, Cortez, FL
• Dawn Castro and the Girls Scouts of Middletown, Ohio
• The Soroptimist Club of Schenectedy, NY
• Bruce Elder and the U.S. Power Squadrons of Savannah, Georgia

Thanks as well to Mabs Sanok in Port Townsend, Washington. Mabs is a tireless fundraiser for BFB; she manages our Usborne web site. Edie Smith and Laura Roberts have rescued hundreds of wonderful books from the Sarasota, Florida school surplus store and continue to be our partners in literacy. Edie has for years collected books for the children of the Bahamas. In Punta Gorda, the dauntless task of re-packing, labeling and organizing falls to volunteers Nancy Klaren and Almut Haswell, who also mine for books throughout the Charlotte County area.

Honorary Board Member Jane Young-Anglim of Connecticut has single handedly built school libraries and computer centers in Tobago, where she maintains a home. Jane is now organizing donations from the Northeast U.S. for Grenada in 2005 from her summer home in Connecticut. Heather Grant owns Erika’s Marine Service on Union Island in the Grenadines and coordinates the SVG project. Union Island is building a new secondary school library this year.

Our Caribbean “crew” includes Honorary Board Members Melodye and John Pompa, living aboard their sailing vessel Second Millenium. They are our eyes, ears and hearts on the ground among the schools and libraries on the various islands. Melodye’s parents Ernie and Mary Hamer, their friends and school contacts (they are former teachers) have produced hundreds of books. Joyce and Carrol Turner, donors and volunteers, have visited with island coordinators throughout the Grenadines and in Trinidad aboard their sailboat Trinity. Bob Conrich, from his home on Anguilla, is our coordinator for both Anguilla and Montserrat.

Special thanks to Murphy BEE Wallace and Diana Algol of the Portsmouth Lions Club chapter in Dominica, and to William Charles, Secretary of the Dominica Lions’ Club, in Rouseau, Grenada. These are the volunteers who receive and distribute books to more than a half dozen schools and an assortment of youth centers in Dominica. And to Sue Fretwell for taking over for Margaret Allen the challenge of tutoring and distributing books in Carriacou, Grenada. We deeply regret Margaret’s passing last year.

Without these wonderful people, including those we have not yet acknowledged here, we could not do our work and forward our efforts to increase the scope of literacy in the Caribbean.
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Our thanks to Director Colleen Lumbert and husband Steve of Orlando, Florida for designing our website and keeping it up to date. To Donna Gillroy of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, our non-profit fund raising consultant. And to CPA Merwin Ullestad of Nashville, Tennessee for his accounting and consulting services. Without these wonderful volunteers we could not properly present our story or carry out our mission.

Help us raise the standards of literacy throughout the Caribbean.
Through the efforts of many hands and hearts we will reach our goal of 100,000 children's books for the Caribbean.
Your book and cash donations are tax deductible.

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Boaters for Books, Inc.
A 501 (c) (3) Florida non-profit corporation

Books@BoatersforBooks.org