Day Ninety-Nine: Can You Donate Books?

Today, instead of writing about my awful day staring at my manuscript and hating every word of it, I thought I'd read out to you with a memorial project I work on every September.

WHO WAS DOROTHY CONYERS?
Dorothy was born to teach. Unfortunately, her dream was cut short in the tenth grade when her patron grandmother suddenly died, and she went to work in the fields. This never deterred her from being a lifelong reader and passionate advocate for children's literacy. Under her tutelage, three of her grandchildren are currently teachers. She loved hard, fought hard, and never left a kid get left behind in the dust.

On a personal note, I was one of those kids she raised. If you read this blog enough, you know she was my grandma. She helped educate me from a young age, teaching me how to write and how to let my imagination out of its little fretful box. Because of her, I am a writer. The love she had for children was stronger than any other person I've ever met, and when she left us, a bright candle in the world burned out and left us all a little more in the dark.

I keep this Memorial Fund going so Gramma never stops doing good in the world. She's continued to make a difference in people's lives, although she passed now two years ago. Every time anyone makes a donation, my heart soars, and I thank you ahead of time if you decide to help us out.

HISTORY OF THE MEMORIAL FUND.
This is the third year that the Dorothy Conyers Memorial Fund will donate books to children in need. The first year, we donated to the Children's Hospital, but this last year, we started donating with the Hope Center in Omaha, Nebraska, in order to supply their students with reading materials for a book club and other activities. Our memorial fund began with my grandmother's final donation in life, and it has thrived with donations from various relatives, friends, and a large donation from Omaha North High School last year.

The Hope Center was very grateful for our donation last year, and I hope to not disappoint them this year. They do such good things for our community, and I hope you'll check out their website here to learn more about their program.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
- Used or new books that are appropriate for young children, middle grade, and/or young adult.
- Monetary donations so we may go purchase books for the fund.

WHERE CAN WE DONATE?
By emailing me at dawson@jrdawson.org for more information.

WHEN DOES THIS NEED TO BE DONE?
The Memorial Fund runs from Dorothy's death date (9/9) to her birthday (10/20). On October 20th, we will drop off our donation at the Hope Center. 

Thank you again for your consideration, and please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding this project.