Service Worth A Glance Issue 01 - September 2013 | Page 4

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sp: better

world books

SERVICE AMBASSADOR

heidi brooks

Hey everyone! I’m Heidi Brooks, the Better World Books Service Ambassador for this year! Here are some random thoughts about myself, just to help us get acquainted. I am currently 20 years old, turning 21 in November. I am a member of the Texas- Oklahoma District, I attend West Texas A&M University as a Junior where I study English Education. My goal is to be a high school English teacher but for now I work at the Maverick Boys and Girls Club, which I love. If you've ever been

As I stated earlier, I am the Better World Books (BWB) Service Ambassador this year! I’m really excited to have the opportunity to work closely with Better World Books since, being the book lover that I am, it hits close to home. Essentially, BWB is an organization that works to both diminish the human footprint that books can create and increase literacy worldwide. The mission statement for Better World Books is as follows; “Better World Books is a global bookstore that harnesses the power of capitalism to bring literacy and opportunity to people around the world.” Something great about BWB is that every single book donated and bought through the program of BWB goes to fund literacy programs and to donate books to communities in need of them. The benefits of BWB are reaped worldwide. By using the Internet to conduct business, the books that are collected and sold can travel the globe. Better World Books has managed to convert more than 58 million books into over $10.4 million in funding for literacy and education and has saved 40,000 tons of books from going into landfills. In a world where books are a sought after commodity, BWB does everything in it’s power to protect those that are in need. existence and to spread literacy to parts of the world that are in need.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Better World Books may be super cool

and what not, but it isn’t exactly everyone’s favorite service partner. It just isn’t very easy to come up with ways to utilize it. I know, I know. Hopefully, in the next year (and ideally the next paragraph) I can change your mind about that. Better World Books is a very easy service partner to benefit. One way that each of us can help BWB achieve it’s goal of worldwide literacy is to use their website when we are both buying and selling our textbooks. I know that I just missed the big rush, but maybe some of you are procrastinators and just haven’t “found the time” to buy your books yet. If so, use betterworldbooks.com! For every book that you buy, one is donated to someone in need! We all love serving others, so why not help serve by changing your book buying sight from Amazon to BWB? It’s just as easy and you get to help people! Ideal combo, right? Another super easy way to benefit Better World Books is to help spread literacy! Their mission isn’t simply focused on the marketplace of books, but instead on the goal behind these things. Have your club design bookmarks as an in-house service project! It’s super easy, inexpensive, and beneficial to BWB! Making bookmarks and then providing them to a local elementary school near you will not only support Better World Books and their initiative, but It will probably put a smile on a child’s face as well. <3 If you still aren’t feeling that any of those service projects is the right fit for your club, why not orchestrate a book drive of your own? Spread the word and donate all of the books to BWB! If that is a bit more intricate than you were looking for, you can always contact a local elementary school and

purchase a book which you will then read aloud to a class full of kids

and later donate to the school’s library. In today’s economy, schools are

forced to make budget cuts; some of which undoubtedly come from the

library’s spending amount. By participating (maybe even creating) a

reading program like this, you have the opportunity to benefit a

limitless number of children.

As a future English teacher, what Better World Books strives to do is very near and dear to my heart. Helping to expand literacy is something that we should all work towards, and I can’t wait for us to get going! I’m really excited for the opportunity to serve you this year. I know it will be great!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me! I’m literally always available. <3

Live to Serve, Love to Serve, Heidi Brooks

around kids for a long time, you’ll understand me when I say it really gets your energy up. I love the color purple, owls, peppermint, and, of course, One Direction. <3