We could have a book sale and donate the money to the hurricane relief. I agree that if we said we were collecting to benefit the Katrina victims, we ought to see that they benefit from it in some way. If the sale goes over well, maybe we could consider making it an annual event to raise funds for PWA. (What would we do with the funds if we had them? Sponsor a writer's conference with guest speakers? Buy pizza?) Of course, you will notice that I am full of opinions and good ideas -- although I have never attended a single PWA meeting nor even made it by to donate a book. Since I'm such a silent member, I won't object if my ideas are vetoed! Susan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Deborah Chester" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2005 1:13 PM Subject: [PWA-L] book drive query > Greetings, fellow writers -- > > Here's the situation: > > I have over 100 novels collected in my office and we need a group decision as to what to do with them. The American Library Association has decided it's not going to collect books at this time to restock libraries in the affected states. The ALA's rationale is that destroyed library buildings need to be rebuilt first. > > That leaves us with a couple of alternatives: > 1) We donate the books once more through the assistance of Barnes & Noble. > 2) We keep the books for a sale to raise funds for PWA. > > It seems to me that because we collected the present books under the "help Katrina victims" banner that we should try to donate them as an ethical action. Can someone check with B&N to see if they'll help us again? We can also send the books for distribution to hurricane victims through other local charities, if necessary. > > Then if we decide to collect future books for our own fund-raising purposes, or even to share among ourselves, we can do so. > > Let me know what you all think. > DC > > > Deborah Chester > Professor > Professional Writing > Gaylord College of Journalism & Mass Communication > University of Oklahoma > Norman, OK 73019-2051 > Ph: (405) 325-4192 > [log in to unmask]