Maura Varian, Acquisitions Support Manager, hatched a brilliant plan earlier this year. One day, she thought, “Hey, we collect books. We sell books. And, most of us even read books. So, why don’t we help people learn to do what we love most?” And, today, that plan is a step closer to fruition.

As of last week, 11 Better World Books employees have graduated from our local literacy council’s tutor training program. The employee-tutors will be utilizing the company’s new volunteerism benefit for this program. In essence, they’ll be compensated for their time as if they were working away in our distribution center. For Better World Books, providing direct service — be it tutoring, painting houses, or playing with children with disabilities — is just as valuable as receiving, scanning, and shipping books. In the end, it’s all about creating a Better World.

And, Maura’s not done there. In an article which was released today by the South Bend Tribune, she is ready to take her dream of local literacy even further, saying I’d “like to see the partnership grow to eventually allow the company’s own employees who have issues with literacy to get the help they need from the Literacy Council while they’re on the job.”

Thanks, Maura, we’re right there with you!

For the full article, click here.

I wish you could have seen the amazing smiles from my coworkers and the volunteers to think that a company BWB’s size came up with that much peanut butter.  … THEN for me to tell them there may be more.

Saturday the most remarkable part of the season (for my job) started… from here on out, we’re doing the distribution.  The essential heart of our program, where people come to us empty-handed and walk away with Christmas in their arms.

Anyway, [BWB's Senior Manager] had mentioned that BWB may match what the employees had come up with.  To be honest, we did not have time to make an exact count, but I’d place it at around 340 jars.  If this is truly something BWB wants to do, thank you.

Thanks again for your participation in this,

Liz Fallon
Case Worker
The Salvation Army of St. Joseph County

Merry Christmas All!