“This will be a tremendous help for our library. Our budget has been cut back so much we can barely buy any new books. We thank our American friends.” Iryna Andreenova, director, Starobilsk Library
"The books we got from Toledo are already making me a better teacher. The children are reading more and learning more. I can’t believe we have books in English, and maybe will get more." Tonya, English teacher, Koorychevka school
Dear friends and loved ones,
I am back in Starobilsk, after being in Tallahassee for my beloved brother's memorial service, one of the saddest times in my life, then a 10-day trip to Budapest and Krakow, two beautiful cities that Loren would have loved, and knew from books. Loren loved books.
And so I share this news in his memory: The U.S. Peace Corps has accepted our proposal to seek funds for the new English-language collection at the Starobilsk library.
This means you can now make a tax-deductible gift directly to the Peace Corps specifically for the Starobilsk library project. Loren was enthusiastic about this project. Some of you might like to make a gift in his memory. I am getting stickers to put in front of the books that the library purchases with these gifts.
The goal is to raise $900.00. The deadline is 15 September, a three-months period. To donate go to http://www.peacecorps.gov/, click on donate and you’ll be taken to the “Invest in our World” page.
As soon as that goal is reached (and not before), the Library will receive the funds to buy 200-300 English books. The average cost will be $4 per book. The books are part of special English-language series designed by MacMillan, Penquin, Oxford and other publishers for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners. These are excellent series, highly regarded, approved by teachers, and come with guides, CDs, and other helpful aides. The Library will also purchase much-needed dictionaries, updated grammar guides, and other reference books.
These wonderful series are sold in book stores in larger towns and cities, like Lugansk and Kiev, but not here in Starobilsk. When I discovered these bookstores in Kiev, I wanted to buy several books right then and there. My Peace Corps friends had to drag me away. “Get that Partnership Grant in, Fran,” Ilse and Olga advised.
To keep you fully informed, here is a brief summary of the grant:
This project aims to help the Starobilsk Public Library grow its first collection of English language books, started with 3 boxes of books from friends in Toledo, Ohio. This collection will address the growing interest in learning English among students in the schools and adults in the community.
Starobilsk is a village of 18,000 in far-eastern Lugansk Oblast, near the Russian border. It is a Russian-speaking community of close families, hard workers, extraordinary talent, and language speciality schools with devoted teachers of English. Like much of Ukraine at this time, however, it is suffering economically. The need for jobs and new opportunities is urgent. The growing interest in English attests to the hope for a brighter future.
The need also grows out of the creation in September 2009 of the first English Club at the Library. It’s been a great success, opened new avenues of learning, and increased the library’s outreach. Teachers of English have expressed a need for these books as well, to expand resources for their students.
The English language collection will be permanent and sustainable. It will be an enduring resource for the community. Books are a learner’s best friend, a source of inspiration, a way to learn about life and the world, to imagine and achieve dreams, and to become educated citizens and workers for the future. This is Ukraine’s best hope.
So go to the Peace Corps site online or email pcpp@peacecorps.gov and click on“Office of Private Sector Initiatives Donation Form.” You might hear from them as well. I’ll keep you posted on the progress of the project. Thanks for your interest and support in so many ways. Loren is cheering us on. Fran
This means you can now make a tax-deductible gift directly to the Peace Corps specifically for the Starobilsk library project. Loren was enthusiastic about this project. Some of you might like to make a gift in his memory. I am getting stickers to put in front of the books that the library purchases with these gifts.
The goal is to raise $900.00. The deadline is 15 September, a three-months period. To donate go to http://www.peacecorps.gov/, click on donate and you’ll be taken to the “Invest in our World” page.
As soon as that goal is reached (and not before), the Library will receive the funds to buy 200-300 English books. The average cost will be $4 per book. The books are part of special English-language series designed by MacMillan, Penquin, Oxford and other publishers for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners. These are excellent series, highly regarded, approved by teachers, and come with guides, CDs, and other helpful aides. The Library will also purchase much-needed dictionaries, updated grammar guides, and other reference books.
These wonderful series are sold in book stores in larger towns and cities, like Lugansk and Kiev, but not here in Starobilsk. When I discovered these bookstores in Kiev, I wanted to buy several books right then and there. My Peace Corps friends had to drag me away. “Get that Partnership Grant in, Fran,” Ilse and Olga advised.
To keep you fully informed, here is a brief summary of the grant:
This project aims to help the Starobilsk Public Library grow its first collection of English language books, started with 3 boxes of books from friends in Toledo, Ohio. This collection will address the growing interest in learning English among students in the schools and adults in the community.
Starobilsk is a village of 18,000 in far-eastern Lugansk Oblast, near the Russian border. It is a Russian-speaking community of close families, hard workers, extraordinary talent, and language speciality schools with devoted teachers of English. Like much of Ukraine at this time, however, it is suffering economically. The need for jobs and new opportunities is urgent. The growing interest in English attests to the hope for a brighter future.
The need also grows out of the creation in September 2009 of the first English Club at the Library. It’s been a great success, opened new avenues of learning, and increased the library’s outreach. Teachers of English have expressed a need for these books as well, to expand resources for their students.
The English language collection will be permanent and sustainable. It will be an enduring resource for the community. Books are a learner’s best friend, a source of inspiration, a way to learn about life and the world, to imagine and achieve dreams, and to become educated citizens and workers for the future. This is Ukraine’s best hope.
So go to the Peace Corps site online or email pcpp@peacecorps.gov and click on“Office of Private Sector Initiatives Donation Form.” You might hear from them as well. I’ll keep you posted on the progress of the project. Thanks for your interest and support in so many ways. Loren is cheering us on. Fran
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