Thanks, Stephanie

Huge thanks to Stephanie Soileau, author and Stanford lecturer, for her generous donation of books.

Thanks Dred!

Big thanks to Dred Scott at KSWD 100.3 The Sound for his generous donation of CDs! Give a listen here!

Songs For Haiti

“No, you can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need”

–  The Rolling Stones, You Can’t Always Get What You Want

When I started this project I focused on books, and included CDs as an afterthought. I figured about 90% of donations would come from books, and maybe 10% from CDs. As it’s turned out those numbers are almost reversed. Let it be known that radio station music directors are a wonderfully generous group of people.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s been happening:

• Of the 9 Sonoma County stations that were asked — 6 donated for a response rate of nearly 70%
• The average number of CDs donated per station was 48
• The average total value of each station’s donated CDs was $225 — enough to feed 35 children for a month!

In light of this success, I’ve decided to go national and solicit donations from every major radio station in the country. Its a daunting task, but I’ve been offered help, and I believe the rewards will be worth the effort. I’ve also decided to dedicate a corner of this blog exclusively to the musical side of Books For Haiti. Calling it Songs For Haiti, and I’ll be compiling a list of all donating stations, along with other news.

Sent out the first batch of emails today. Really excited about the potential here.

Thanks, Mariah!

Thanks to Mariah Isely for her terrific donation of books! If you find yourself in Sebastopol, check out her store — Cultivate: Kitchen, Home and Garden.

Haiti: How They Live

Survival after the quake:

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/photogallery/gallery.cfm?id=4357&cat=slideshow

“This slideshow is narrated by an MSF communications officer, who also took the photographs during a two-week visit to Haiti in March, 2010. He accompanied MSF field staff on assessments of living conditions in makeshift camps where people had been living without basic assistance.”

Now with 100% more authorization!

Just received my letter of authorization from Doctors Without Borders. That’s right folks — Books for Haiti is certified, bona fide,  100% legit. This also (hopefully) means that we’ll be able to offer tax incentives for donations using Doctors Without Borders’ tax ID.

Disclaimer: Though we’re now fully authorized to raise funds in Doctors Without Borders’ name, Books For Haiti is not directly affiliated with Doctors Without Borders. Our opinions, views, and actions are our own and do not represent Doctors Without Borders.

Thanks Froggy!

Sonoma County radio keeps on giving –thanks to 92.9 KFGY for their generous donation of CDs!

Give a listen at http://player.streamtheworld.com/_players/maverick/index.php?callsign=KFGYFM

$500 St. Patrick’s Leap of Faith

Sales have been slow. This is mostly by design, since I’ve priced things on the high side while I wait for a critical mass of donations to accumulate before releasing the flood gates on sales. This keeps me from having to make trips to the post office for just one or two sales a day; if you’ve visited a post office lately, you understand my desire to keep these trips to a minimum!

The problem of course is that this keeps much-needed money from Doctors Without Borders. So I’m writing a check for $500 today, to be mailed to Doctors Without Borders this Friday. I’m confident that the donations on hand will more than cover that, and with more donations coming in daily, I hope to cut another check in the coming weeks.

Thanks KWMR!

Thanks to Kay Clements of 90.5 / 89.3 KWMR in Point Reyes for making a generous donation of CDs to Books For Haiti. Give KWMR a listen online at http://kwmr.org/listen_kwmr.html

Haiti: Two Months After the Quake, New Services and New Concerns

Distribution of tents and other necessities in Haiti

Two months after the January 12 earthquake, medical needs remain immense in Haiti and living conditions are extremely precarious. Although the phase of urgent life-saving medical care has passed there continues to be a critical emergency context in which thousands of people need post-operative care, rehabilitative care and physiotherapy, as well as psychological counseling. The extremely difficult living conditions increase the stress experienced by people living in camps or in tents throughout Port-au-Prince and its surrounding areas. The rainy season has begun, worsening already horrific living conditions for many who still do not have proper access to sanitation facilities and increasing their chances of contracting malaria. There is also insecurity in camps due to poor lighting facilities or poor security management, indicated partly by an increase in sexual violence cases …

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=4320&cat=field-news