We have noticed that there are many incredible socially-minded businesses out there that share our philosophy of capitalism – that capitalism is not just about a single, financial bottom-line, that business can and should also change our world for the better. We share lots of stories about how our book donors, customers, staff, partners and advocates make a difference every time they interact with Better World Books. Now, we’d also like to begin sharing how like-minded organizations are making a difference as well.

So, without further ado, Meet Boosterthon.

BWB:  Tell us about the Boosterthon Fun Run.  How did it get started and what do you do?

The Boosterthon Fun Run is a nine day Fitness, Leadership, and Character-based elementary school fundraiser that offers a healthy alternative to traditional product sale fundraisers. Our founder and president, Chris Carneal, started Boosterthon while attending Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Chris started a sports tutoring company that helped local students improve their baseball skills, and because Chris was also interested in impacting kids in other ways than just sports, he added a character lesson to each sports tutoring session. When he was approached by one of his kids to buy a product to raise money for a school, Chris thought there could be a better way to resource schools. From there, Boosterthon was started to help resource schools in a fun, hassle-free way. Students don’t have to sell anything. They just gather pledges from friends and family as they prepare for the Boosterthon Fun Run event.

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Guest post by our Twitter friend Bella McGuire, Cozy Mystery book reviewerI’ve been reading cozy mysteries for over 20 years now, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen cozy mysteries as popular as they are right now. With several big mystery books slated for their big screen release, like ONE FOR THE MONEY by Janet Evanovich (January 27, 2012), cozy mysteries are more popular than ever.

A cozy mystery is a story involving a murder mystery, that is usually set in a small town and is full of murder, town gossip and sometimes a touch of romance. With so many different genres to choose from, people are flocking to read cozy mysteries. Why? Because they are a fun read, that engages the mind (I just love trying to solve the murder) and provide entertainment.

There is a cozy mystery story to suit every mystery reader. There are cozy mysteries with a culinary theme (set in a bakery or restaurant, and usually include some great recipes to try) or a book setting (such as a librarian or bookseller solving a mystery) and even sport themed books for the male reader and paranormal themed for those that enjoy some witches, ghosts and vampires with their mystery.

My top picks in the cozy mystery genre are:

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Andrea is a writer, editor, and writing teacher who is working on a book about the people who were enslaved on the plantation where she was raised. She writes this not as a former slave, but as a young women who grew up on this plantation in recent history.The bleachers are still there.  Covered with gray chalky paint. Tucked against the brick wall. The small room is not hidden but is hardly noticeable  in the corner of the house wing closest to the fields and the slave quarter.

In this space, the enslaved children on this plantation were educated. They were taught to read and write. They learned simple arithmetic and biology.  A whale vertebra from their lessons still rests on the floor across from their seats.

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Maria looked deeply into her heart and said, “Now I feel like a person.”

In 2000, Maria legally immigrated to the United States from Spain and it took ten years for her to feel whole here. She could not speak with her older son’s soccer coach because her English was not fluent enough. Maria could not even visit the OBGYN alone to get a mammography when she had a breast cancer scare. She could not help her younger son with his homework because she did not understand the words.

“It was really hard when my mom couldn’t help me with my homework. And my dad has to go to work at night and so it was really hard,” her 10-year-old son Antonio told us.

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Post by Better World Books’ Outlet Store Manager, Mary OlsonI’m sure that somewhere, there exists a textbook kid who lives a textbook life and went through a textbook school experience to get a textbook degree and a textbook job and now has a textbook family and is living happily ever after… by the book.That kid wasn’t me.

It took me 3 years of attending college to convince my recently Ph.D.-ed mother that it wasn’t the right time for me to be in college. I couldn’t have explained it well then, and I’m still not sure if I could explain it well now. But I didn’t feel like the school system was for me. School was a pivot table, and I was abstract art. Luckily, my parents are amazing people who understand the importance of being true to who you are.

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I asked our Facebook and Twitter fans: “If you were Santa, what book would you give to every person?” Here are the top 10 most popular answers…

1. The Bible

2. The Little Prince

3. To Kill a Mockingbird

4. The Zombie Survival Guide

5. The Princess Bride

It had been a weedy, unloved, unused piece of land a little more than two years ago, and now the largest community garden in my county flourishes there, 20% of which is dedicated to donations to a local food pantry directly across the street from the park in which the garden is located.  Our first donation came just six weeks after the garden opened, and it consisted of three little bags of lettuce leaves.  I was so proud of it, until I went to deliver it to the church where the food pantry is held each Wednesday.  The line of people in need wrapped around the building.  Our meager donation embarrassed me, although the words of Mother Teresarang in my head: “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”  And we would feed three that day.

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This year, our literacy partners at Invisible Children are proclaiming that the “The holiday spirit is the human connection”. Through their latest holiday campaign, they are helping to illustrate that with every purchase we make this year, we can choose to positively impact someone’s life – a concept very close to our hearts at Better World Books – and the foundation on which our entire business is based.

As a triple-bottom-line social enterprise, it is embedded into our mission, vision and even by-laws that we work towards the betterment of people and planet – not only profit. We are passionate about sharing our story with people like you to further the wave of conscious consumerism.

Today, you don’t only need to donate or volunteer to make an impact, you can simply be thoughtful about where you buy things you already need. For example, every time you buy a book with us, organizations like Invisible Children get funding – plus we donate a book to a student in need. Book for Book.

Here’s another way you can support Invisible Children with your gift purchases this holiday season… Read more…

The lesson Read more…

Do you wish you had enough money to buy shoes, soap, shelter and books for every homeless child in our world – and also cute, trendy, smart items for your loved ones?While most of us cannot afford to buy two of every gift and ship one to someone in need and the other to our in-laws, nieces, long-distance lovers and bosses, there are companies out there who will do it for you, for free!

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