Two students recall their experiences of doing their bit for Books For A Cause campaign
Chloe Lam (top left) and classmate Tara Lee collect books at Diocesan Girls' School.Angel Wu
In April, three of my friends and I signed our Christian Alliance International School up as a participant in the Books For A Cause campaign. I thought it was a great chance for us to be responsible global citizens, collecting used children's books to donate to the needy.
The collection was to start on May 30, so a week before that, we began putting up posters around the school. We also recruited a few volunteers to sort out and pack the books we expected to receive. We were very excited and told everyone we knew to bring in books.
On the morning of May 30, we set up a booth at the school lobby. But by the end of the day, there were surprisingly no books. The next three days were no better; we got only three books in all.
In desperation, we contacted our friends through Facebook. We stressed how each book could improve a child's life greatly. The next day, we got more than 100 books. We were blown away.
By June 6, we had collected about 200 books. We were very thankful.
Initially, I did not want to take part as I felt it would be time-consuming. Now, I have no regrets. The time spent was well worth it. It was an amazing experience.
Chloe Lam
Books are for reading, but there is so much more that books can do. They can inspire minds and even change lives.
Thanks to Young Post, we learned of the Kids4Kids donation and signed up.
A starter kit comprising posters and a CD was sent to us. We then attended a Kids4Kids briefing in Tsim Sha Tsui. With an identity card round our necks and briefcase in hand, we looked no different from professionals in the building. (Deep inside, we believed that the child beneficiaries would also become professionals.)
We learned how to pack a box. David from the Crossroads Foundation showed us how to turn a piece of cardboard into a 3-D box. It seemed easy to flip over the flaps and stick the tape on, but it actually required good skills.
After the briefing, we started to promote the project at Diocesan Girls' School. We put up posters, sent e-mails, showed videos and made public announcements. We tried to get the whole school involved, for it was really meaningful to help the needy, especially give them the gift of education.
Over seven days, we collected plenty of books from every class and from the school library. We were extremely happy with our schoolmates' response. They truly lived out our school motto: "Daily Giving Service."
We had to write speeches and e-mails, which enhanced our persuasion skills. It wasn't an easy project. It also showed that a book is never just a book. Books are always for a cause - to inspire, to change a child's life.