PBP Book Drive Thank Yous – And More

The Prison Book Program in Quincy raised more than 16,000 books during its Great American Book Drive on Saturday. And the PLG helped, by sending over more than 150! We’re proud and honored we were able to participate and hope to make helping collect books to donate an annual event as well.

Some thanks are in order! First, HUGE thanks to the PLG’s REFORMA rep, Sujei Lugo, who , made the fliers and just basically made our mini-drive work. Thank you so much, Sujei!! And also, big thanks to the PLG Community Outreach Coordinator, Hannah Gomez, who rented a zip car and drove around yours truly, trying to find the drop-off point. Thanks so much for doing this and putting up with my map-reading skillz. And thanks to all the PLG officers for offering to help, promoting and everything.

Outside of PLG, GSLIS Assistant Dean of Student Services Em Claire Knowles deserves praise for suggested putting the drop-off box in the GSLIS lounge and donated the first book at that location. And thanks for those Simmons students who donated there; I did get a few good hauls from that box. Somerville Public Library deserves a thumbs up for allowing us to place another drop-off box at their central location – we’d like to especially acknowledge Director Maria Carpenter for her support and to Teen Librarian Ron Castile for his support by donating 10 copies of The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

But a big chuck of our haul came from Lugo’s contacts on Twitter and IRL. They are:

@eldifusor

@hachabrava

@thattommelise

@CleopatraBD

her twitterless dad, Pedro Lugo and

her twitterless Qualitative Research professor from the School of Social Work, Johnnie Hamilton-Mason.

We gratefully acknowledge your help in spreading the word and sending us some good stuff!

And thanks to all those who emailed and asked where they could send books or that they wanted to do something similar in their own schools. But most of all, thank you to all you generous donors. And if I’ve forgotten to recognize you, sorry and thanks!

You can still get involved with the Prison Book Program! Radical Reference Boston and PLG are getting a bunch of people together to head over the PBP TOMORROW 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. to help with these recently donated books and most likely other tasks. Email our Social Media Officer, Kittle Evenson at evenson@simmons.edu, to join the group or get more info.

And if you want to get in on planning and managing awesome campaigns such as this one, consider becoming a PLG officer. We’re looking for a secretary/archivist and treasurer starting in the summer semester. See here for more info and to apply. It’s fun and great for your resume.

Have a good week – oh, and see you next at the Swap-O-Rama (co-hosted with SCIRRT) –

When: Saturday, April 27, 2013, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Where: GSLIS Student Lounge

PLG and SCIRRT are co-hosting a Swap-O-Rama. Clothes, books, electronics, school supplies and more are all welcome to be brought and exchanged. This event can be especially helpful for people who are moving or graduating after this semester. The organizers also hope that more than just goods will be swapped. Bring your ideas and enthusiasm for the profession and share them with your fellow GSLIS students, faculty and staff. Questions? Email Eileen Fontenot at fontenoe@simmons.edu or Eva Rios-Alvarado at eva.rios-alvarado@simmons.edu.

Whew! OK – think that was it!

~Eileen, PLG co-chair

Drop Off Books for Prison Book Program Drive at GSLIS Lounge

Faculty, staff, students and any interested parties may now drop off their book donations for the Prison Book Program drive at the Simmons GSLIS student lounge (2nd floor of the Palace Road building). We have set up a shiny blue box with attached flyer on top of the filing cabinets to the left of the door as you walk in. The drive itself is April 13, but PLG is gathering books now to bring to that event. So you don’t have to!

For more information about the book drive, click here. For what books are needed (and not needed), see our flyer.

FWD: Prison Book Program

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Prison Book Program e-Newsletter February 2011 “Thank you very much for the thesaurus and the story about Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison. Having a good book to read in prison is like sitting down to a steak dinner, well almost. I usually pass along your books to other inmates, so your gift keeps giving.”- A prisoner from Chattahoochee, FL BWB Grants PBP $5000 for GED Initiative 220 PRISONERS WILL RECEIVE GED STUDY GUIDESPBP is a winner of Better World Books first annual LEAP award!  The $5000 award will fund GED study guides and dictionaries for 220 prisoners.   The funding for the LEAP Awards is part of BWB’s mission and promise to fund literacy and education from the sale of each and every book.  Other winners of the LEAP Awards include Room To Read, Books for Africa and Feed the Children. Successful completion of the GED tests allows adults who did not complete a formal high school program to certify their attainment of high school-level academic knowledge and skills. The Department of Justice reports that 77% of prisoners did not receive a high school diploma.  According to a NY Department of Corrections study, prisoners who earn their GED are up to 14% less likely to return to prison in the next three years. Stay tuned for more information on this exciting new initiative! Visit Better World Books for more information on the LEAP awards and the 6 other winners. Closed Library’s Books Benefit PBP OVER 10,000 BOOKS BEING SOLD TO BENEFIT PBPAfter 126 years, the East Milton (MA) library has closed its doors and generously donated its unwanted books to PBP.  While the closing of any library saddens us, we are glad to give the books a second life. After taking as many great books as we could use, volunteers packed up 250 cartons and sent them to our partner Better World Books.  A percentage of the profits made on the books are returned to PBP to fund the costs of mailing books to prisoners. Thank you to the Milton Library for sharing their books with us and to the volunteers who braved the cold, ice, and the aftermath of a blizzard to make this possible.  We could not have done it without their dedication… and their strong backs! Help Us Keep Books in the Mail Winter is our busiest time at PBP.  We have legions of volunteers lined up to fill requests from our overflowing bookshelves.  The only thing that limits the number of prisoners we can help is the cost of postage.It costs an average of $4 to send a package of books to a person in prison.  Approximately $3 of that is postage.  Please consider a donation of any size to help us reach more people. Online donations can be made at www.prisonbookprogram.org/donatenow Thank you for your support! Thank You From A Released Prisoner PRISONER WHO RECEIVED BOOKS FROM PBP WHILE IN PRISON PUBLISHES A BOOK We get many thank yous from prisoners who receive our books, but we thought this one was especially touching! “While incarcerated I received books from your program. This helped me to pass the time while incarcerated and to later publish a book of my own(Songs Within My Heart). Today I work two jobs and presently stay involved within the fight for informing the public about harsh sentencing and the need to rethink prison as to the solution to crime. Making it to freedom was a hard fight, but I’m not really free while so many that are still behind bars suffer injustices. I hope one day to form something like a program geared towards assisting those that truly seek employment find jobs.” Donny Ingraham Details on Donny’s book can be found at www.publishamerica.net Thank You Volunteers! MANY MANY THANKS TO OUR RECENT VOLUNTEERS! Alpha Phi Omega, MIT Boston Cares Boston College Law School Boston University City Mission Society Joggers for Joe Suffolk University … and numerous dedicated individuals! Prisoner Writing:  The Letter BY DAVID SCOTT, PUNTA GORDA, FL You will never know what a letter can mean, until you have been where I am, or seen what I’ve seenI’m confined in a world behind four walls where no one can see me and I receive no calls Often I sleep and awakened alarmed, Thinking that my family, loved ones or friends may be harmed Thank God it’s just a dream as I come to my senses, Then I look out the window, and still see the fences I make it somehow through out the whole day awaiting mail call, but none for me they say. Not even a letter, a note, or even a card When nobody writes, times really seems hard A little word or two to say Everything’s fine A few small words to ease my mind Kind words, well wishes Just knowing you’re there Anything for me, to show me you care You will never know what a letter can mean, until you have been where I am, or seen what I’ve seen….. Saturday Hours JOIN US ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26thCan’t make it to Quincy on Tuesday or Thursday night?  Join us on Saturday, February 26th for our monthly Saturday hours.  We’ll be there from 10 am to 4 pm picking and packing – and making post office runs! We will also be open on March 19th, April 16th and May 14th. In This Issue BWB Grants PBP $5000 for GED Program 2000 Books Packed in East Miton Help Us Keep Books in the Mail Thank You From a Released Prisoner Thank You Volunteers! Prisoner Writing: The Letter Saturday Hours Support PBP Every $3 pays postage for a shipment of books! Make an online donation today! The Prison Book Program is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Prisoner Resources PLEASE PRINT AND SHARE THESE RESOURCES WITH YOUR LOVED ONES IN PRISON National Prisoner Resource List National Prisoner Resource List in Large Print “We the People” Legal Primer Come Volunteer With Us! Tuesdays & Thursdays 6:30 – 9:00 PM Select Saturdays 10am-4pm February 26th March 19thApril 16th May 14th directions Stats Year to Date Stats Prisoners served: 813 Books sent: 1,626 Volunteer sessions: 268 PBP ONLINE Click here to become a fan of PBP on Facebook Click here to join our LinkedIn group Click here to follow PBP on Twitter Click here to check out PBP’s YouTube Channel Click here to buy t-shirts and more at our online store Tell Us What You Think! We want to make this e-Newsletter as interesting as possible.  Click here to take a short survey and tell us what you think! Subscribe Email:

Prison Book Program c/o Lucy Parsons Bookstore 1306 Hancock Street, #100 Quincy, MA 02169 (617) 423-3298 info@prisonbookprogram.org http://www.prisonbookprogram.org

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FWD: Prison Book Program

Nearly 7000 People Got Books in 2010!

1500 MORE THAN LAST YEAR  It’s been a record year at PBP!  We’re still counting a few more packages, but it looks like we will be just shy of 7000 packages sent out in 2010!  That’s 1500 more than 2009. A big THANK YOU to everyone who donated their time, their books and their money to help us reach this milestone.  We’re looking forward to an even bigger 2011!

‘Tis the Season for Year-End Giving

As you consider your end-of-year giving, please keep the Prison Book Program in mind. Your support and generosity makes it possible for us to make a difference in the lives of thousands of people in prison.  It costs an average of $4 to send a package of books to a person in prison.  Approximately $3 of that is postage and rates are going up on January 3rd.  Please help us reach even more people in 2011! Online donations can be made at www.prisonbookprogram.org/donatenow Thank you for your support!

PBP Closed for the Holidays

WILL REOPEN ON JANUARY 4TH So that our volunteers can enjoy the holidays with their family and friends, the PBP office will be closed  Thursday December 23rd Tuesday December 28th Thursday December 30th. We will resume our regular Tuesday and Thursday evening volunteer and book drop-off hours on January 4th. From everyone at PBP, we wish you a safe an happy holiday season!

We Need Your Help on December 28th

DAYTIME VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY  A local library is closing and has donated all of their unwanted books to PBP.  Are you free on Tuesday 12/28 from 11am to 4pm? We’re still looking for 6-8 volunteers to help us sort, pack and prepare the books for shipment.  The library is in East Milton, MA. Lunch will be provided. Please note that this job does involve lifting and carrying boxes of books. Contact us at info@prisonbookprogram.org for more details if you are interested and available!