November 14, 2002 - Stevens Point Journal: PCV Colin Hanson gets books to Thailand
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November 14, 2002 - Stevens Point Journal: PCV Colin Hanson gets books to Thailand
PCV Colin Hanson gets books to Thailand
Read and comment on this story from the Stevens Point Journal on PCV Colin Hanson and the program he has set up to get books to Thailand. So far, roughly 800 pounds of books - and counting - have found their way from Stevens Point to Thailand as part of the project. Read the story at:
Schools send books to Thailand*
* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.
Schools send books to Thailand
By Barbara Martin
Journal staff
Ed Whitman estimates he and his wife, Pat, have helped ship 2,400 to 3,000 books to Thailand as part of a Pacelli High School graduate's project to get children's books to that country.
Books for Thailand is the brainchild of Colin Hanson, a Peace Corps volunteer and the son of George and Joanie Hanson, 1901 Clark St.
The Stevens Point man joined the Peace Corps in January 2000. In April, he returned to the city to promote his book drive.
He enlisted the help of students at Pacelli; Stevens Point Area Senior High's National Honor Society; St. Bronislava, St. Stanislaus and St. Stephen elementary schools; St. Peter Middle School; and P.J. Jacobs Junior High School's Student Council.
At St. Bronislava, students collected books as part of the school's virtues project to show their faith in action, Principal Laura Barnett said.
"They were very responsive in bringing books in," she said.
The 110 elementary students collected about 100 early readers "because these will be used by students learning English," Barnett said.
Besides donating new or used children's books, the St. Bronislava students brought in a quarter for each donated book to help pay for the shipping, she said.
As the schools collect enough books to be shipped, Joanie and George Hanson load their minivan with the cartons and take them to Ed and Pat Whitman's Mailboxes and Parcel Depot to be sent via U.S. post to Thailand.
Although donations pay for the shipping costs, the Whitmans volunteer their labor in packaging the cartons. So far, roughly 800 pounds of books - and counting - have found their way from Stevens Point to Thailand as part of the project, Ed Whitman said.
"It's a significant number of books," he said.
Martin can be reached at 344-6100, Ext. 2517, or at barbara.martin@cwnews.net.
For more information on Books for Thailand go to:
Books for Thailand
Books for Thailand
raindrops fill the bucket
The purpose of this website is to raise funds in order to ships books and other materials that schools, libraries, and other organizations have donated to Books for Thailand. Regarding donations, we are abiding by the concept that raindrops will fill the water bucket; thus, we ask only for $25.00 (money order or check) from each person -- every donation one more drop in our bucket, one drop closer to quenching educational thirst. We will take down this site once we reach our goal of $3,000.
Where'd It All Begin?
This all began with a young man named Colin Hanson, from Wisconsin, who journeyed to Thailand to serve with the Peace Corps, trying to teach local teachers and students English so that they can better survive in their homeland. Realizing that in order to enable the students, the teachers must first be enabled, Colin began and has continued the process of using books and other materials to incorporate structured teaching and classrooms into their daily lives.
Where Do the Books Go?
This year the teachers are working on how to write (starting with brainstorming and working towards completed paragraphs), classroom management (seating charts, group work, encouragement, coaching, and discipline (without a stick). They are also incorporating drama in the classroom, role plays, dialogues, skits, plays, etc. The books are used for reading groups. Teachers are in groups of four, and each week a teacher presents a book to his or her group: one person reads and the other three listen. Besides preparing a book to read (practicing, understanding, and translating difficult words), the teacher that reads also prepares questions about the book. Thus, the listeners have to pay attention so to answer the questions. After the questions are answered and corrected, the teachers discuss the book. They discuss where they can add it to enhance the curriculum, at what level to use the book (primary or secondary), different activities/themes that they can do with the book, and book qualities (pictures, vocabulary, length, etc.). The class is in two terms (June to September and November to March), and to pass the class with a certificate, the teacher must write two book reports and do one oral report. Hard work pays off, and the teachers love it. Some teachers have finally started to bring books with them into the classrooms so they can read to their students.
And this is where your books go! Here's the math: If each teacher presents a book each month (first term equals four books), does the required reports (three more books ), comes to class and listens to his or her group members (12 per group), and listens to the oral reports (between 16 and 20 per class), that makes a grand total of 35 to 40 books read during term one and term two, for a final total of 70 to 80 books needed. The good news is that getting the books has been easy, thanks to gracious donaters everywhere. Now, we need the money for the shipping fees, and if we can gather enough money to send 20 - 25 more boxes, the Land of Smiles can continue to smile, and Colin can continue his task!
How to Donate
We have kept the donation process simple. Send a check or money order for $25.00 made out to Books for Thailand/Mailboxes & Parcel Depot that is handling the shipping (donating all supplies and labor!) at the following address:
Books for Thailand/Mailboxes & Parcel DepotTM
Ed and Pat Whitman, Owners
135 N. Division St.
Stevens Point, WI 54481
The store is tracking the funds and then preparing boxes each time they have enough money for a shipment.
Check Back In
Check back in every week or so and we will add a note to the site regarding how the effort is going. Until then, we cannot thank you all enough for your donations and kindness in support of Books for Thailand.
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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; PCVs in the Field; COS - Thailand
PCOL1425
16
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Hello,
I am Maria Retana a writer for bilingual Children's books and a publisher. I am looking for a home to few boxes of books (each box contains 40 books) We are over stocked and want to donate our books to an organization. The Afternoon Snack/La merienda is a bilingual book with market value $10.95. All we need is for the organization, school district etc to pay for the shipping (after you receive the books, we need to trust you) and write a letter/statement stating our donation (Tax purposes) We will provide our federal ID etc when an agreement has been reached. We will gladly send you a complementary copy of the book. We are also looking for schools that will like to purchase some boxes with a 70% discount.
Thanks
Maria Retana
author/publisher of High Desert Productions
