Profile
O
ne day back in 2010, Sarah Dewitz’s mom
Sharlene showed her an article from the East
Orange Sun newspaper about a struggling
neighboring town. The article spoke of the
hardships the town had been facing for many
years and how some families there live under less than desirable
situations. Unlike many who were Sarah’s age at that time eight
years ago, she could only think about how many children did
without so many important things, like books. It made Sarah
think how she would feel if her world did not have books in it.
Sarah, who has always had an affinity for reading and books,
had the notion to help her neighbors by encouraging everyone
at her school to donate “JUST 1 BOOK.” That accomplishment
equaled 763 books that she then gave to those in need just down
the road. Sarah realized that this pay-it-forward idea, “JUST 1
BOOK,” could make a difference in the lives of many children.
Since, Sarah and Just 1 Book has collected and distributed
over 800,000 books from Jacksonville to Homestead,
Orlando to Tallahassee, Cocoa Beach to St Petersburg...
and even out of state. The biggest distribution they’ve
done to date was about 5-6,000 books at once.
And Sarah’s efforts have not got unnoticed. She boasts quite a list
18
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WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE
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MARCH 2018
Sarah Dewitz and Scott Billue of Matthew's Hope