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The more often students
visit libraries on their own,
the better their test
scores.
Better stocked libraries
are associated with
higher academic
achievement.
Schools with high
numbers of books,
magazines had better test
scores.
--Library Research
Service studies
Nearly 15 percent of
Florida school districts
had school libraries in
which 40 percent or more
of books were pre 1980s
(e.g., more than 20 years
old). (Orlando Sentinel
November 10, 2002)
85 percent of the
incarcerated juvenile
offenders have reading
problems.
77 percent of 12th
graders read below the
basic reading level.
93 percent of 10th
graders in reservation
school systems never
read a single book
outside the classroom.
U.S. literacy rates are just
above average for a
developed nation.
Nearly half of U.S. citizens
scored in the lowest
levels of reading.
At the end of calendar year 2005, I recognized some reorganization and redefinition
of goals was needed. Although I had been doing this volunteer work for four years, I
had no clear mission nor goals.
I've decided to target the following areas:
1. Literacy
2. Education and childhood enrichment
3. Life and work skills preparation.
To meet the mission of life and work skills preparation, I plan to work on eliminating
barriers to employment. In particular, I was impressed and inspired by the fare card
recycling program of San Francisco’s BART system. Research has found that one
of the complicating, frustrating aspect of employment programs for poor teens and
adults is the lack of affordable transportation to work. With BART's recycling
program, low value cards of a few cents are combined and the new fare cards are
provided to the homeless to commute to work. Can such a program work with
Washington, DC, Metro fare cards to help disadvantaged teens and the homeless
afford to commute to work?
In addition, I was inspired by an organization of flight attendants who transport
medical supplies, school kits and hygiene supplies to children in developing
countries. Tragically, children go without education because of the relatively high
costs of school fees and school supplies. My hope is to redirect unused convention
and business travel supplies of donors to children in developing countries.
Children in Africa beg for pencils from foreign travelers to go to school. Girls in some
parts of Africa are forced to trade sex for a bar of soap or food. Let's do something
about it.
How I Do It
For book donations, I rely heavily on other organizations. For example, the Friends
of the Arlington County Library gives away books that are not sold during their
semiannual book sales. Their generosity enables me to send large shipments to
prisoner literacy organizations and similar nonprofits as well as to foreign libraries
and schools. Other individuals who attend the book giveaways support nursing
homes and veterans hospitals. One woman sends books to Slovakia.
However, the juggernaut of the help I receive comes from the Book Thing of
Baltimore whose mission is to give away free books. Its work enables me to get free
adult and children's books for the recipient organizations. I could not do the work I
do without the existence of the Book Thing.
How I do the remainder of the work for TTF is a penny-pinching secret I reveal in my
upcoming book on financial management for the newly independent.
What's Planned for Future
The near future is expected to hold many new opportunities and challenges. I plan
to continue with the existing projects with School on Wheels, Developments in
Literacy, Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, and the Women's Prison
Book Project.
I've very excited about the new opportunity to partner with existing organizations to
sponsor math races and geography bees. More information on the math races and
the geography bee will be posted on this website.
I'm also about to embark on a new venture with an overseas organization. More
information on this will be posted towards the end of the year.
of goals was needed. Although I had been doing this volunteer work for four years, I
had no clear mission nor goals.
I've decided to target the following areas:
1. Literacy
2. Education and childhood enrichment
3. Life and work skills preparation.
To meet the mission of life and work skills preparation, I plan to work on eliminating
barriers to employment. In particular, I was impressed and inspired by the fare card
recycling program of San Francisco’s BART system. Research has found that one
of the complicating, frustrating aspect of employment programs for poor teens and
adults is the lack of affordable transportation to work. With BART's recycling
program, low value cards of a few cents are combined and the new fare cards are
provided to the homeless to commute to work. Can such a program work with
Washington, DC, Metro fare cards to help disadvantaged teens and the homeless
afford to commute to work?
In addition, I was inspired by an organization of flight attendants who transport
medical supplies, school kits and hygiene supplies to children in developing
countries. Tragically, children go without education because of the relatively high
costs of school fees and school supplies. My hope is to redirect unused convention
and business travel supplies of donors to children in developing countries.
Children in Africa beg for pencils from foreign travelers to go to school. Girls in some
parts of Africa are forced to trade sex for a bar of soap or food. Let's do something
about it.
How I Do It
For book donations, I rely heavily on other organizations. For example, the Friends
of the Arlington County Library gives away books that are not sold during their
semiannual book sales. Their generosity enables me to send large shipments to
prisoner literacy organizations and similar nonprofits as well as to foreign libraries
and schools. Other individuals who attend the book giveaways support nursing
homes and veterans hospitals. One woman sends books to Slovakia.
However, the juggernaut of the help I receive comes from the Book Thing of
Baltimore whose mission is to give away free books. Its work enables me to get free
adult and children's books for the recipient organizations. I could not do the work I
do without the existence of the Book Thing.
How I do the remainder of the work for TTF is a penny-pinching secret I reveal in my
upcoming book on financial management for the newly independent.
What's Planned for Future
The near future is expected to hold many new opportunities and challenges. I plan
to continue with the existing projects with School on Wheels, Developments in
Literacy, Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, and the Women's Prison
Book Project.
I've very excited about the new opportunity to partner with existing organizations to
sponsor math races and geography bees. More information on the math races and
the geography bee will be posted on this website.
I'm also about to embark on a new venture with an overseas organization. More
information on this will be posted towards the end of the year.
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Victoria Pilate, Ph.D.
Torment of Thirst Fund
--Plans for the Future--
--Plans for the Future--
