Diana's Books

Our mission is to share knowledge through the reuse of books. We rescue and redistribute books to people in need. We believe that access to information empowers people.

Rescue, Share, Empower!

214 boxes shipped

September 15, 2007

to Nairobi, Kenya

UPCOMING EVENTS

 

Our simple mission is to rescue and reuse the books. We ship books to both local and international beneficiaries. Our international beneficiaries, including 3 schools, 2 libraries, and several churches, are located in Kenya, Zambia, and Philippines. They do not pay anything for the books they receive from us. Our local, fully-supported beneficiaries include the women's prison in Virginia. Distribution partners include Hostelling International, Feed The Hungry, St Leo's Senior Center, and Vienna Youth Players. We also distribute at local festivals, at West Coast Teriyaki, and every Thursday evening at the Green Acres Center, generously provided by the City of Fairfax.

We accept book and media donations from individuals, boy scouts, churches, estates, and libraries. We do make house calls for donations larger than 12 boxes. We partner with local jurisdictions and other reuse providers in multi-item collection events. If you have other items you would like to reuse, including monitors, bicycles, clothing, eyeglasses, we are partnered with the Alexandria / Arlington Reuse Network.

On September 15, 2007, we shipped 214 boxes of books to Zablon Malenge, our beneficiary in Nairobi, Kenya. With boxes previously sent to him, Zablon founded the first free library in his country. How cool is that? This shipment included donations from several school systems. It included beginning dictionaries, readers, spellers, and 'rithmetics. We sent algebra, geometry, science, world geography, world history, biology, chemistry, and SAT prep. We also sent boxes of general books, some with Bibles, dictionaries, and other concentrations, including children's and health. We sent several sets of encyclopedias, not only standard ones, but those describing technology, nature, and home repair.

With our Authors' Cooperative Program, we distribute books that are not otherwise available. Mary Jane Schneider's Wilderness Path is only available from Diana's Books.

If we can't find a good home for a book, we do recycle for paper. CYA Shredding provides our recycling service.

We need your help! The first step is to subscribe to our monthly newsletter. Perhaps you could volunteer for one of our upcoming events. Below, Nicole Lumsden accepts the Volunteer of the Year Award for 2007 on behalf of the Beneficiary Shipping Team, pictured above, left. We also have part-time employment, and Juan Melo was the contributor of the year for 2007. With only 3 months service, Sarah Wright is already a contender for 2008. Bryan Riley joined our Board as Treasurer in January, 2008.

We are recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization. Monetary donations are tax deductible. We are listed on Guidestar, which verifies all nonprofits registered with the IRS. Monetary donations go directly to the mission, directly to the expense of sending more books to our beneficiaries.

Who are we? Our Board members registered with the Commonwealth of Virginia for 2008 are Bryan Riley (Treasurer, above, right), and (left to right) Larry Sink (Secretary), Amy McMenamin (Counsel), Maryann Weber (Executive Administrator), Brent Lander (President), and Brian Schneider (Director).