Room to Read

If you haven't caught up to what I've been up to this month, read about how to start your own volunteering initiative at work, and ideas you can implement at the office. This week, I'll be featuring two of my favorite charities to celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving.

Yesterday, I talked about Kiva, and today Room to Read CEO and co-founder, Erin Ganju, will share her story on how her nonprofit is making a difference, one book at a time. The organization sees the education of children as a key factor to escaping poverty, and their team works towards that vision by setting up libraries, schools, and more in countries all over the world.

SavvySugar: What was your favorite book when you were a kid?

Erin Ganju: I had a ton of favorite books that were my favorite.  But one of them is certainly Dr. Seuss, who I think is really attractive to young children with all of the great rhymes and fun characters. Green Eggs and Ham in particular was one of my favorites, which is representative of the kind of an icon of an amazing children’s book that everyone refers to. In many ways, Room to Read sees itself as being able to create similar stories. We often say we want to be the Dr. Seuss of the developing world. Because it’s just that idea of making reading fun, exciting, to draw a child in, and make it about reading for enjoyment. That’s what I think is the classic Dr. Seuss experience kids should have.

SS: Who is your female role model?

EG: I always say that my best role model has been my mom. She definitely was a trailblazer in her own time. She was one of the first thousand members of the Peace Corp volunteers in the early sixties under Kennedy, and prior to that in the late fifties, she taught English in Japan, so she really was very internationally minded at a young age and in a time when it was very unusual in the US. So I kind of gained a lot of my love for the world around me and being a global trail blazer from my mom. I also look up to strong women like Madeline Albright who broke through many glass ceilings in her own time as the first Secretary of State. She really set a different tone for the fact that women can be a part of the conversation at the leadership level in the world. When you look at the 190 countries in the world, only 15 of them have heads of states that are women, the last time I checked. Eleven of them are in the developing world. So in many ways, I always tell Room to Read investors that it’s probably more likely that some of the girls in our girls education program in developing countries may grow up to be presidents of their own countries than it probably is for our own daughters.

To hear more about her vision for Room to Read's future, read on!

I'm sure your heart is full of gratitude as Thanksgiving is slowly creeping up upon us. I'm all about doing good this November, and I began the month with steps on how you can start your own volunteering initiative at the office. I then followed up with suggestions for the different activities like charity runs and petitions that you can implement at your company. But I'm wondering what nonprofit or volunteer activity appeals the most to readers.

One of my favorites is Room to Read, because I'm a bookworm and a big advocate of education being one of the key factors to eradicating poverty. This organization sets up libraries and builds schools in developing countries. Room to Read also publishes books in the local languages of the poverty-stricken areas and supports the secondary education for girls in third-world countries. What about you — what nonprofit inspires you to keep on giving?

Source: Flickr User MeiLyn

Think of it as Toms Shoes for books. While store shelves are flooded with kids' shirts bearing messages, Booda Brand tees do a bit more. The wise words on the garments are meant to inspire tots, and the company's philanthropic commitment ensures that kids are making a difference. For each shirt ($32) or onesie ($30) sold, Booda Brand donates a book to a child in need through Room to Read.
The collection of six sweet, unisex designs are all printed on 100 percent organic cotton and colored naturally with vegetable dyes. The words "I will make a difference" are subtly emblazoned on the back of each shirt.

Those who've been mystified by Twitter's business model will find themselves further intrigued by the social networking sensation's latest venture: a Twitter wine label.

Fledgling, as it's called, launched today both online and on Twitter. For $20, oenophiles and Twitter fiends can choose between a California Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, both produced by custom wine facility Crushpad. For each bottle purchased, $5 will go to Room to Read, a world literacy organization.

The partnership between Twitter, Crushpad, and Room to Read — all based in San Francisco — is being labeled the largest online wine project to date. Would you be inclined to buy a bottle of vino from Twitter?

A note to Twitter users: Don't forget to follow YumSugar on Twitter!

We take reading to our children for granted. Many families have stacks of texts on their shelves and also take part in lending libraries. It's hard to imagine not being able to flip the pages of a book on a whim.

While hiking through Nepal, former Microsoft executive John Wood was upset by the lack of resources available to the students and teachers in the region. Knowing the importance of education and literacy in helping people improve their socioeconomic conditions, Wood left his corporate job and founded Room to Read. His intention of building libraries, creating local language children's literature, constructing schools, and providing education to girls in developing countries has come to fruition. In the past eight years, the organization has impacted the lives of more than 3.1 million children by constructing 765 schools and 7,040 libraries, publishing 327 new local language children's titles, and funding 6,817 long-term girls' scholarships in communities throughout Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, Laos, Zambia, and Bangladesh.