Vancouver, BC February 25, 2011 – “The BIG Book Drive”, an inaugural initiative inspired by three local Simon Fraser University: Beedie School of Business Project Management students - Joseph Choi, Alex Venetis and Steffi Chua - aim to collect over 2,000 books for the Salvation Army.
With two separate book drives planned in both Richmond and Burnaby, the first will take place on Saturday, February 26th inside Lansdowne Mall in Richmond while the second event will be marked on March 19th - 20th at The Salvation Army's Divisional Headquarters in Burnaby.
All books collected will be donated directly to The Salvation Army for distribution to family and community services along with additional literacy-related initiatives. “We want to donate books to an organization that already has programs in-place to increase literacy amongst low-income families and children, so we chose the Salvation Army,” says Alex Venetis. “People have lots of books lying around at home that can be redirected towards these communities.”
What begun as a small class project has gained momentum and evolved into a well-organized community book drive. The BIG Book Drive is sponsored by Black Bond Books, Richmond Scouts, Literacy BC and Lansdowne Shopping Centre.
According to Literacy BC, 40% of adults in British Columbia do not have the literacy skills needed to fully participate and succeed in today’s world. This presents over one million people who are under-equipped to cope with society's increasing informational demands.
“We are privileged to be able to attend a university like SFU,” says Steffi Chua. “There are many children, teenagers, and young adults who don’t have access to books that can improve their literacy skills. The books we have lying around at home can make a difference in someone’s life.”
Event Details:
February 26: The BIG Book Drive booth will be located in front of Toys R Us inside
Lansdowne Mall located on No. 3 Road at Alderbridge Way in Richmond, BC from 9:30am to 4:00pm.
March 19-20: The second BIG Book Drive will take place at Salvation Army's Divisional
Headquarters located at 3833 Henning Dr. in Burnaby, BC from 10:00am to 6:00pm on both days.
