ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, January 18, 1997 TAG: 9701200010
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: a cuppa joe
SOURCE: JOE KENNEDY
Books for Africa put out its plea, and the public is responding generously.
Thousands of volumes fill the west end of the Virginia Museum of Transportation building on Norfolk Avenue in Roanoke.
Now for the hard part.
The books await a ride to Kisumu, Roanoke's Sister City in Africa.
First, though, they must be sorted.
As with any first-time enterprise, BFA has had some glitches. One was a lack of heat in the unoccupied part of the transportation museum.
In the next few days, the books will be moved across the street to the former space of Cardinal Cabinet Corp. at 403 Salem Avenue. It has heat. Shelves, too.
There they will be sorted by subject and destination, packed and loaded for their journey.
Collecting continues at Cycle Systems in Roanoke and at 13 Goodwill Industries book boxes across the valley.
Bruce Brenner, who had the idea to re-use, rather than recycle, discarded books after visiting Tanzania and Kenya, met Tuesday with five other organizers at the Jefferson Center.
They talked about the sorting process, receiving arrangements in Kisumu and whether guidelines are needed for future donations.
Ken Schutz, executive director of the Science Museum of Western Virginia, favored setting criteria for acceptability. He is especially keen on sending science and other textbooks.
Brenner wants variety.
"We have spent years trying to educate people about what we want," said Roger Matthews, director of Goodwill Industries, "and we finally got to the statement, `Send it to us, and we'll sort it.'''
Until further notice, BFA will share that philosophy.
Children's storybooks - not picture books, but books with words - are needed, as are encyclopedia sets that aren't woefully out of date.
Obvious trash should go directly to recycling.
`Getting the public involved'
The sheer size of the project prompted Schutz to ask, at one point, "How in the hell are we going to get this done? It's a job now that requires a champion ... to pull all the pieces together and make it happen."
It'll happen, because it has so much going for it, from the involvement of businesses, groups and individuals to its pipeline to another Books for Africa group that began in Minneapolis in 1989.
Not to mention the full support of the Kenyan embassy, which sent a representative to town to check out the operation.
The Minneapolis group supplies used textbooks and other slightly damaged books to classrooms. The Roanoke group aims to stock Kenyan school libraries.
"Our uniqueness is getting the public involved," said Brenner, president of Cycle Systems.
Volunteers show dedication
Unless you'd attended the first sorting sessions at the Transportation Museum in November, you couldn't appreciate the dedication of volunteers from, for example, Roanoke's City School.
Nor could you claim to have survived temperatures that had people's teeth chattering more loudly than the passing trains.
Next week, the organizers will design a sorting procedure in the new warehouse. They'll schedule regular sorting days. Volunteers can begin in February. Groups and individuals may register by calling the Clean Valley Council at 345-5523.
Brenner is asking six area Rotary clubs for $1,000 contributions that, with matching grants, can be parlayed into $24,000, enough to ship the first load.
"I want to see that first shipment go so bad," said Ann Masters, who runs the Clean Valley Council.
On that, everyone could agree.
What's your story? Call me at 981-3256, send e-mail to kenn@roanoke.infi.net or write to P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010.
LENGTH: Medium: 88 linesby CNB