BWB Grants PBP $5000 for GED Initiative
|
|
220 PRISONERS WILL RECEIVE GED STUDY GUIDES
 PBP is a winner of Better World Books first annual LEAP award! The $5000 award will fund GED study guides and dictionaries for 220 prisoners. The funding for the LEAP Awards is part of BWB's mission and promise to fund literacy and education from the sale of each and every book. Other winners of the LEAP Awards include Room To Read, Books for Africa and Feed the Children.
Successful completion of the GED tests allows adults who did not complete a formal high school program to certify their attainment of high school-level academic knowledge and skills. The Department of Justice reports that 77% of prisoners did not receive a high school diploma. According to a NY Department of Corrections study, prisoners who earn their GED are up to 14% less likely to return to prison in the next three years.
Stay tuned for more information on this exciting new initiative!
Visit Better World Books for more information on the LEAP awards and the 6 other winners.
|
Closed Library's Books Benefit PBP
|
|
OVER 10,000 BOOKS BEING SOLD TO BENEFIT PBP
 After 126 years, the East Milton (MA) library has closed its doors and generously donated its unwanted books to PBP. While the closing of any library saddens us, we are glad to give the books a second life.
After taking as many great books as we could use, volunteers packed up 250 cartons and sent them to our partner Better World Books. A percentage of the profits made on the books are returned to PBP to fund the costs of mailing books to prisoners.
Thank you to the Milton Library for sharing their books with us and to the volunteers who braved the cold, ice, and the aftermath of a blizzard to make this possible. We could not have done it without their dedication... and their strong backs!
|
Help Us Keep Books in the Mail
|
|
 Winter is our busiest time at PBP. We have legions of volunteers lined up to fill requests from our overflowing bookshelves. The only thing that limits the number of prisoners we can help is the cost of postage. It costs an average of $4 to send a package of books to a person in prison. Approximately $3 of that is postage. Please consider a donation of any size to help us reach more people. |
Thank You From A Released Prisoner
|
|
PRISONER WHO RECEIVED BOOKS FROM PBP WHILE IN PRISON PUBLISHES A BOOK
We get many thank yous from prisoners who receive our books, but we thought this one was especially touching!
 "While incarcerated I received books from your program. This helped me to pass the time while incarcerated and to later publish a book of my own(Songs Within My Heart). Today I work two jobs and presently stay involved within the fight for informing the public about harsh sentencing and the need to rethink prison as to the solution to crime. Making it to freedom was a hard fight, but I'm not really free while so many that are still behind bars suffer injustices. I hope one day to form something like a program geared towards assisting those that truly seek employment find jobs."
Donny Ingraham
Details on Donny's book can be found at www.publishamerica.net
|
| Thank You Volunteers! |
|
|
MANY MANY THANKS TO OUR RECENT VOLUNTEERS!
- Alpha Phi Omega, MIT
-
Boston Cares
- Boston College Law School
- Boston University
- City Mission Society
- Joggers for Joe
- Suffolk University
... and numerous dedicated individuals! |
Prisoner Writing: The Letter
|
|
BY DAVID SCOTT, PUNTA GORDA, FL
You will never know what
a letter can mean, until you
have been where I am, or
seen what I've seen
I'm confined in a world
behind four walls
where no one can see me
and I receive no calls
Often I sleep and awakened
alarmed,
Thinking that my family,
loved ones or friends
may be harmed
Thank God it's just a dream
as I come to my senses,
Then I look out the
window, and
still see the fences
I make it somehow through
out the whole day
awaiting mail call, but
none for me they say.
Not even a letter, a note,
or even a card
When nobody writes,
times really seems hard
A little word or two to say
Everything's fine
A few small words
to ease my mind
Kind words, well wishes
Just knowing you're there
Anything for me,
to show me you care
You will never know what
a letter can mean, until you
have been where I am, or
seen what I've seen.....
|
Saturday Hours
|
|
JOIN US ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26th
Can't make it to Quincy on Tuesday or Thursday night? Join us on Saturday, February 26th for our monthly Saturday hours. We'll be there from 10 am to 4 pm picking and packing - and making post office runs!
We will also be open on March 19th, April 16th and May 14th.
|
