What motivated and inspired me....

There are two books that greatly contributed to my decision to hike and to raise funds. The first is The Rent Collector by Camron Wright and the second is Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Rent Collector is about what literacy means to one woman and her family in Cambodia. Into Thin Air is about hiking Everest.  I read both books within a month of each other, for the first time. The ideas from both of them have really influenced my thinking and my actions.

I believe that books inspire action. I read, now I'm acting. :)

Why Room to Read?

You might be asking why I chose Room to Read over other charitable organizations. I think, in general, people choose to support causes they feel passionate about. Literacy has always been a passion of mine. Reading came easy to me; I have been in love with books my whole life and I believe my life has been changed by the journey they have engaged me in. I want all children to have the magic and wonder that I have found in books! I also want them to have the numerous opportunities that are made available to them by becoming literate.

Education makes all the difference; it empowers, enlightens, motivates and gives hope. That's why I chose Room to Read. Read some of the excerpts from their web site and you will begin to understand why I was drawn to their efforts.

"Over 60 million primary school-aged children around the world do not have access to education and most likely will never learn to read or write. Room to Read believes that all children, regardless of gender or background, have a right to education. By empowering children through this lifelong gift, we see a world in which people are able to realize their full potential.

Room to Read had its humble origins in Nepal in 2000, where we began bringing donated books to rural communities. Today, we are a global organization dedicated to promoting and enabling education through programs focused on literacy and gender equality in education. We achieve this goal by establishing school libraries, building schools, publishing local-language children's books, training teachers on literacy education and supporting girls to complete secondary school with the life skills necessary to succeed in school and beyond."

You'll  notice that the organization began in Nepal, which also seemed appropriate, since that is where I'll be hiking. The pieces of the puzzle all started sliding into place and it began to seem like fate that all of this came together. 

Here are some of the things that Room to Read has accomplished:

Schools Constructed	1,824
Libraries Established	16,549
Books Published	1029
Books Distributed	14,588,494
Girls' Education Participants	27,159
Children Benefited	8.8 million

However, there is still so much to be done. Doesn't every child deserve an education? a book? a place to read? Please join me in my quest to make this happen. You can make a difference. If I could have all of my Facebook friends donate $5, I would exceed my goal of $1000. How much good can that do?

It would give numerous children the opportunity to achieve literacy.

Think about what reading means to you...doesn't everyone deserve the opportunities that literacy makes possible? I think so. :)