Now, after a paragraph like that, it is very tempting to brush our collective hands together, sniff importantly, and say something to the effect of “My work here is done.” But that’s not how we do things at the HPA. No-sireee.

This year, the second graders at the New Beginnings school will be taking State Exams. The New York Dumbledore’s Army (who did a tremendous amount of work unpacking boxes, organizing and shelving books, and basically making the Imagine Better library possible last year), is rising to the challenge the way only HPA chapters can. They’re helping to kick off the student’s summer reading by adding some more books to their collection. And here’s the really good news, the news you’ve all been waiting for: You can help!

Now, these aren’t just any books, they’re specific books chosen by the children’s teacher to match the student’s reading level and help prepare them prepare for their exams. Please check out this google doc for a list of books wanted, and use it to report any books you’re going to send. Tempting as it may be to turn this into an all out Accio Books!, please stick to the books on the list. We’re aiming for fifty books, so jump right in and let’s do this thing!

Books should be sent to:
Karen Jones
Bedford-Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School
82 Lewis Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11206

Label packages: Second Grade Summer Reading

Members of the NYDA show off some of the donated Harry Potter books.

My Chapter, NYDA, is working with the New Beginnings Charter School to help build their library. We had been there once before to drop off books, and at the time there were maybe 20 – 30 boxes. Since then, the number of boxes has doubled–if not tripled–thanks to the generous donations of Chapters and individual HPA members. All the books inside these boxes will eventually need to go on shelves, but before they can do that they need to be sorted.

But how can we sort without a sorting hat? We just had to do it the old fashioned way. We were sorting the books by grade level. Some books had a grade level on them, and the principal was on hand to advise on the books that didn’t. For any books where we weren’t sure of the level, we used Scholastic’s Web site to check (apparently, practically all children’s books are listed there!)

As we opened each box, we remembered some of our favorite childhood books. It was hard to keep from reading, but with so many boxes, we had to keep sorting. There were books on science, math, reference, and history. And lots and lots of great kids fiction. We found quite a few books that were inappropriate for the age group. Luckily, I had found a library that takes unlimited donations. Those books will be finding a nice home there.

People also included personal notes with their donations. One was even a letter to Hogwarts. The principal is going to put these on display in the library.

Eventually, it was time to clean up. I’m not sure how many books we sorted in total, but there were big boxes of books for practically every grade, and a growing pile of Harry Potter books (surprisingly there weren’t too many of them; we still don’t have a complete set! Order of the Phoenix, anyone?). Once the books had been cleared off to the side, we had to get one last picture. The principal suggested getting a picture with the Harry Potter books, and we each called dibs on our favorite ones. Then it was off to a celebratory lunch.

And we’ll be back to sort more next week. If you’re in the Tri-State area and you’d like to help us out, please contact me at pam@thehpalliance.org.

This photograph shows a little of our sorting process.

We arrived early that morning with boxes and boxes of books. I immediately found my contact, who led me to the library. The first thing I noticed were the boxes of books that were already there. There had to be about 20 or 30 of them all from HPA members and Chapters. Besides the books the library was pretty empty. The reception area was set up, and was where the books were being housed. There were chairs and a few desks, but it was mostly open space. It will be interesting to see it in a few months when the shelves are built!

My contact showed us where to put our books, and then we went to unload the car. My co-Chapter Organizer, Lis, brought the books into the library, and my job was to count them all. When they were all counted, there were 240 books. That included 3 sets of encyclopedias and a big dictionary, not to mention lots of great children’s stories!

As we were leaving, we saw some of the kids from the school. They are the ones who are going to enjoy all the books we donate. Seeing them and the school made it all very real. I know we’ll be seeing them more in the future as we help with book sorting and shelving, and I will keep all of you updated with pictures and stories as we continue the process.

If you’re in the Tri-State Area, and you’d like to help us build the library, please contact me at pam@thehpalliance.org.

Have you WROCKED the VOTE?

Of course, by this we mean have you registered to vote? How about your friends? And your family?

If not, there is still plenty of time. Click here for more information and the voter registration form. Voting is the easiest way to participate in our democracy. Its the easiest way to make our voices heard, to make sure that our government works the way we want it to.

But now that you’re registered (or will be very, very soon, right?) its time to start thinking about the issues that are important to you and how those will affect whom and what you vote for. So what are going to be the decisive issues for you in the midterm elections?

We’re all concerned about the economy and the job market, right? Because some of us are trying to pay for college, or help our families with bills or save up spending money. Perhaps its the environment that will make the difference for you when you vote this fall, or marriage equality or education. These are all issues that affect our lives and the lives of our friends, families and neighbors. And they represent a good portion of the issues that we should be thinking about when we get ready to vote in November.

So now is a good time to start researching, and asking questions. The more information you’ve got, the easier it will be to make a confident and informed decisions. Head over to the Ning discussions on the topic by clicking here. Check back to the blogs for information about issues you care about. Talk to people you know and read the newspaper, blogs, and commentaries.

And if you aren’t old enough to vote yet, don’t worry! There is still plenty you can do. Pay attention to the news and the issues that are important to you. You can still talk about them with your friends and family. You can be an advocate and a source of information for people who are old enough to vote. Maybe that article you show them will change their mind about a certain issue or candidate. Maybe that statistic about the special ballot initiative in your state will help your friend win an argument with someone else. And when you do turn 18, you won’t have to start from scratch because you’ll already be very well informed.

So get ready guys, because Wrock the Vote might be ending, but the fun is only just getting started.

Some of the books Carpe Futurum collected

written by Danielle Gillen.

Congratulations to Carpe Futurum, our Accio Books 2010 Chapter Cup Winner!

Carpe Futurum collected a total of 2,542 books, 48 of which were Harry Potter books. These books came from members’ private collections, thrift store and library sale purchases, as well as donations from family, friends, co-workers, and classmates. Carpe Futurum also hosted introductory and wrap-up sorting sessions at a local library. The books collected were donated to the Mississippi Delta, Virginia military units via AnySoldier.com, Ecumenical Community Helping Others, Pohick Regional Library, Kings Park Library, Sunrise at George Mason Senior Living Community, The Virginian Continuing Care Retirement Community, Nativity Catholic School, Reading Tree, and The Book Thing of Baltimore.

Carpe Futurum is based in Northern Virginia and is a relatively new chapter. Not only was this their first Accio Books, this was their first project ever! You can learn more about them at their website, http://carpefuturum.wordpress.com.

Congratulations to Catherine, Kate, and the rest of Carpe Futurum! You guys did an amazing job with this campaign, and you’re just getting started. We look forward to hearing more great things from you in the future.

Also, kudos to our runners up The Justice League, The Baltimore Billywigs, and NYDA, all who worked extremely hard to gather books from  their members, and also put on some pretty cool Accio Books events.

In total, HPA Chapters raised 8,766 books in 2010 – most of which were donated back to local communities around the world.
The HPA has over 60 chapters worldwide. To find a chapter near you or to start your own, please visit our Chapters page.