By Claire Langdon
These are the Haitian children who will receive these beautiful books!
Recently, team Wonderland BookSavers has been pursuing a new facet of our outreach: not only are we continually dedicated to our original mission to spread our love of literature by salvaging books and donating them to children globally, but we are also striving to generate a multiplied impact by connecting a global community over service and literature.
Over the past four months, our team collaborated with Mr. John McMillan’s French students from Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center in Chicago to address a problem facing schools in Haiti. Many schools, teachers, and students lack the literary resources needed to encourage a literate, educated community. To continue our preexistent efforts to bring books to schools in Haiti, as well as to involve our friends with similar goals in Chicago, we developed a relationship in which these students compose children’s stories in French, and we act as the conduit through which they can be successfully and usefully donated. Our community partner Susy Whitcomb at Haitian Education Initiatives will personally deliver the books to Jacmel, Haiti in March.
Not only will the recipients benefit from the practice and variety afforded by these books, but they will be the beneficiaries of impressive authorship and meticulous illustrations. The time and creativity that have very evidently been applied to these books are manifestations of the genuine care and interest going into the project and towards the Haitian children. Included below are a few of these books!
As a result of this effort, two geographically separate communities are being connected with literature as the liaison. Our team is excited to further our mission by continuing to create a network not only within our immediate community, but with others across the world. We hope that another collaborative opportunity to illustrate books, write letters, or otherwise expand our global, literature-inspired community arises soon! Just as team Wonderland BookSavers is “inspired by literature,” we hope to spark that same inspiration in others across the world.
Wonderland BookSavers 