Helping Locally, Helping Globally

For years, we at Bookbyte have been quietly donating books to students in need in Uganda, Belize and Thailand through a local chapter of Rotary International, simply because it makes us feel good to do good. We’re proud of our efforts.

Armed conflicts and general poverty in various nations have created difficulties for students in school and college. Now, in peacetime, the task of rebuilding schools and school libraries has begun in earnest. Despite the lack of schools, school supplies and books, the desire for education remains strong.

Thanks to the coordinated efforts of several Oregonian organizations, many children will have the textbooks they need for school and college. Bookbyte is pleased to participate in the Rotary Books for the World project, based in Beaverton, OR, and to facilitate the sorting, storing, and palletizing of books to nations in need.

The Beaverton School District donates obsolete textbooks to Rotary, thereby foregoing payment for their recycle value. Beaverton Rotary, in turn, donates these books to Bookbyte. Bookbyte provides the textbook experts and warehousing facilities needed to collect, transport, evaluate and store books at no charge. In inspecting all of the School District’s obsolete books, Bookbyte ensures that the District receives payment for books that can be resold and that the remaining books are packed and palletized for shipment to book-hungry students. Rotary partners distribute the books to educational institutions and ensure that books are distributed free of charge.

It’s estimated that each textbook sent to countries such as Uganda, Belize and Thailand will pass through the hands of 25 students, extending each book’s impact and influence in immeasurable ways. Bookbyte is proud that its local efforts are resulting in improvements for students on the other side of the world.

The Rotary Books for the World Project gratefully acknowledges the following friends who have helped make this program possible:

• Beaverton School District
• Blue Bird Transfer Inc. of Tigard, Oregon
• Bookbyte
• Brother’s Brother Foundation
• Pacific University
• Portland State University
• Powell’s Books
• The International Book Project
• US State Department Fund Transportation Program
• Partner Rotary Clubs Worldwide