Help us build a library with Room to Read & earn a special badge for your account!

The Social Entrepreneurs Challenge has ended and it's too late to receive a badge for contributing through that, but you can still have your contribution matched through December 31st thanks to a private matching grant.

Just visit roomtoread.org to donate. 

 

One of our friends at Room to Read reached out yesterday to express their appreciation for all your support in 2014.  

They wanted me to convey their holiday wishes and sincere gratitude to you, along with this touching video that helps illustrate the impact of your generous contributions:

 

On behalf of everyone here at NikeTalk, thanks once again to everyone who contributed.  Not only have you assisted a great organization in its efforts to empower budding young scholars around the world, but you've helped us bring our own community closer together in the process.  

Thanks for helping us bring out the best in ourselves and in each other.  May we reach even greater heights together in the coming year. 

 

I'd like to thank all of you once again for supporting our 2014 fundraising drive for Room to Read. As you may recall, together we raised enough money to sponsor an entire school library in Vietnam.

Earlier today, I received the project completion report from our friends at Room to Read, and I'm delighted to share the results with you.

The completed library belongs to Song Thuận Primary School, located in Tien Giang, Vietnam, which currently serves 460 students in grades 1-5.  Thanks to you, students visiting the new library can now enjoy 57 local language books published by Room to Read and 1,000 other local language books.  While the facility is now fully stocked and furnished, the support doesn't end there.  Room to Read has already provided an initial week-long training session for teachers and librarians, and will continue to follow-up and offer three years of additional support, including additional books, training, and monitoring visits. 

Though we're celebrating the transformative power of literacy, this update just wouldn't be complete without pictures.  

Here's a quick look at what YOU helped make possible:

Thank you so much for your generous support - and thanks to our friends at @INSTYLESHOES  for their contributions as well.  Instyleshoes contributed over $2,600 of the $6,635 generated by our crowdfundraising campaign (not including matching funds and bonuses), in addition to their previous Room to Read contribution of $5,723 awarded through their ongoing pledge to contribute 1% of their annual sales to NikeTalk's charity initiatives.

This library is proof that great things can be accomplished when we all work together towards a noble goal.   

It's an honor to share a community with you all.  

If you'd like to learn more about this project, you can download the full completion report here:

And, of course, anyone interested in furthering Room to Read's amazing work in Vietnam and thirteen other countries in Africa and Asia should check them out at their website, http://roomtoread.org/, and consider making a contribution.  

Great work, everyone! 

 

As a quick recap: 

50 people now have this in their signature, for adding $10-$24 to the cause:

 

58 people have this in their signature, for contributing between $25-$99:

 

And 15 exceptionally generous people have this in their signature, and gave over $100:

 

Together, those 211 "virtual" books translated into over 1,057 real books for students in Tien Giang.

So, every time you see one of these in someone's signature, know that each one represents more than three actual children's books - and the fully furnished and supported library in which they're housed.

For those who now feel a little left out, know that this isn't the end of our journey.  Who knows?  Maybe there will be another Social Entrepreneurs Challenge for us to participate in this fall and we can help Room to Read establish a whole new library in another community.  I hope you'll all join us again when the time comes.   

 

http://niketalk.com/a/community-contributions-to-date

The Equal Justice Initiative is based in Montgomery, Alabama and serves the United States.

The American Indian College fund provides scholarships for students in the United States.  

Maya Angelou Schools/See Forever Foundation operates schools in Maryland and Washington, D.C.  

Harlem Children's Zone covers 97 blocks in central Harlem.  

The Children's Defense Fund serves children and communities in the United States.

People in ALL countries are deserving of our support, but if your focus is the United States you are welcome to join us in supporting these and other fine nonprofit organizations.