Placencia Children’s Library Needs Books!As a hard core bibliophile it's easy for me to have a soft spot for children that are anxious to read. My wife Rachel and I visited Placencia, Belize before Hurricane Iris devastated the village. Since then they have managed to rebuild much of the village; however, their children's library is still in need of donated books. Belize is a third world country and can use quite a bit of help. In many villages women still bath their children and wash their clothes in the local river. I'm collecting children's books for the library and will take care of packing and shipping them to Placencia. Read on to find out more about The Placencia Children’s Library, enjoy the pictures and if you can, gather together a few children's books to send to them. You can contact me using the information below. The Placencia Children’s Library opened Tuesday, 23 December 2003 on the grounds of St. John’s Memorial Anglican School in Placencia Village, Belize. To see where Belize is, click here. The library (see photos below) was a gift to the children and teachers of St. John’s School from The Iris Foundation for Education, a Canadian charitable foundation formed after Hurricane Iris devastated schools in southern Belize in October 2001. The library has been a major project of the Iris Foundation at a cost of approximately BZ$25,000 for the furnishing and stocking of the Library with books, children’s videos, school supplies and educational software, plus reconstruction and repair costs for the building housing the Library. In Library orientation sessions held during the week of 8 December 2003, Placencia students previewed a wide array of over 1,500 beautiful books especially selected and purchased for the Placencia Children’s Library by The Iris Foundation, including children’s books on Maya glyphs, reef and rainforest ecology, tropical animals, insects and birds, weather, and Latin American cultures. Volunteers will operate the Library. These dedicated adults will rotate on a regular schedule and assist with student research projects as well as book circulation. "The Placencia Children’s Library has been made a reality by the many individuals and organizations who generously donated their time, support and money to this project of The Iris Foundation for Education," - Marilyn Beckstead, founder and director of the Foundation. Funds were raised in Canada, Belize and the United States through a variety of activities including fundraising dinners, art auctions and walk-a-thons. Teachers and students from the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board were the major contributors of funds for the Placencia Children’s Library project of The Iris Foundation. Others volunteers, donors and supporters include:
DonationsThe Library is always in need of children’s book donations, both fiction and non-fiction, grades one to eight. (A dedication to the donor will be placed in each donated book.) If you would like to donate books, videos and/or money (for packaging & shipping) please contact me, I'll be happy to stop by and pick up your donations or you can drop them off at my home. D. Roger Maves Thanks To Those That Have Donated Books
Photos - Placencia Children’s Library
Bladen SchoolBladen is a small Mayan village in the Bladen Forest Reserve. It is southwest of Placencia on the Southern Highway. The school is in the midst of contstruction and needs help with a library. The books sent by our donators are the first books of their library.
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