ActionIsrael's
Books for Israel Project
in Colorado

Something truly beautiful is happening out in Colorado -- a state located in the geographic heart of the United States of America. At the inspiration of three women, Jews and Christians, individuals and religious groups in Denver are coming together in support of Israel's schools.

When Joan Baronberg, representative of Denver's ActionIsrael group found out about the Books
for Israel Project, she got in touch with U.S. based International Book Drive Coordinator,
Rena Cohen and then, details in hand, put out a call for volunteers to make a book drive component an integral part of ActionIsrael's work. Two volunteers stepped forward --
Lynne MacDowell and Tami Knopping. With the strong back-up of ActionIsrael at all stages, and with specific support from Joan Baronberg, Tami and Lynne have gotten an incredible, massive, and growing book drive campaign underway.  As part of ActionIsrael's determined efforts to help Israel through a growing variety of educational, fundraising, and cultural exchange events, the book drive effort is helping to promote a better understanding of Israel during a period of much media confusion. The drive has already sent hundreds of excellent children's books to start and refurbish English language school libraries in Israel's needy schools and plans have been laid out to collect thousands more. 

In a relatively short drive toward the end of the 2002-2003 school year, ActionIsrael's Books for Israel Project drive in Colorado collected a total of 37 boxes of quality books and sent these off to flagships in Netanya and Jerusalem for distribution amongst local schools there.  In a recent message, Lynne shares their plans for the 2003-2004 school year:

     We have decided to try two book drives this year, one from mid-October to
     mid-November. We would ship those books at the end of December when
     the postal service isn't so busy. The second drive will be from mid-March
     through mid-April.  May is Israeli Awareness month and there are a lot of
     activities around the city. We are hoping to set up boxes at each of the
     activities and collect donations to cover shipping costs. Then the books
     from the spring drive and May will all be shipped together.
     Man plans -- G-d laughs!  But He has been faithful in supplying our every
     need not only in collecting the books but in finding the funds to ship them
     as well.

Tami has recently written to share some personal information about herself with the children
and teachers involved in this project:

       I became involved in the Books for Israel project when I received an email from
       ActionIsrael asking for volunteers. I LOVE books, Israel and children, so it seemed the
       perfect project to get involved in and I have not regretted a moment of it.
       ActionIsrael is a wonderful grassroots group that brings Christians and Jews together
       to support Israel. You can visit their website at www.actionisrael.org.

       I am a mom with two teenagers (a son Michael 16 and daughter Laura 15) and
       three dogs to boot! I am very active with my congregation, Faith Bible Chapel
       International (FBC). Our congregation has a group called the International Singers and
       Dancers who visit Israel each year and encourage those in the military to let them know
       they have our prayers and support. Every May we have an "Israel Awareness Day" out
       in Denver, which has not been surpassed yet by any other organization that I know of!
       It is a major production with special speakers, exhibits, food, the singers and dancers,
       skits of various key-points in history and much more.  

       My hobbies are reading, of course, scrap booking and dog-training/handling.
       I spend a good deal of my free time in various church-related activities as well as
       activities promoted by ActionIsrael. I am trying to learn and understand as much as
       I can about Israel in order to educate others. I have worked in the legal field for
       over 20 years and enjoy the work I do (legal assistant). Somewhere in between all this
       I taxi teens around and cater to their unique needs (i.e. Mom-I can't find the shirt I was
       going to wear today - now what am I going to do!) So I do lead a very full and busy life
       and would not have it any other way - life is precious, life is fragile and I need to live it
       to the fullest!

       I hope this information gives you a little picture of who I am, but better yet I hope to
       meet the children and educators involved in this process in person.
       G-d willing I will make it to Israel sometime in the near future.
       Shalom! Tami Knopping

Thank you Tami, thank you Lynne for your incredible investment of time, effort, physical
energy, and for all the love and care you have given to get this project off the ground and rolling! 

Thank you Joan Baronberg for inspiring ActionIsrael's involvement in Books for Israel
and for helping to coordinate and expand ActionIsrael's role in helping children in Israel!

Thanks to ActionIsrael's entire team for supporting and helping to fund this initiative
and for all the great projects you are running to strengthen the ties between Colorado and Israel!

And thank you, so very much, to all the beautiful and caring adults and children in Colorado
who are joining together and participating in any way to make ActionIsrael's Colorado
Book Drive such an inspirational success!

Below are some photos from the 2002-2003 drive. 
As photos and stories from the new drives come in, we'll keep you "posted"! (see far below)
 

June 2003
Bookdrive organizers Lynne MacDowell
and Tami Knopping, whose effort is bringing
together Jewish, Christian, and other groups
throughout Denver in a united effort
finish packing and taping up 37 boxes of books! 
11 boxes were sent to the flagship in Netanya.
26 more were sent to a flagship of schools
in Jerusalem.
 
     Tami finishes taping up the last box.
     Lots of tape around the boxes ensures
     that they won't fall apart and lose their
     precious contents during the long
     mail trip to Israel.
   Lynne's daughter, Rachel, shows her friends
   how to put in the labels.
   She has had A LOT of practice
   helping her mom at home!


   "This is a great book! I've read it myself
   and it's great someone decided to share it
   with children in Israel through this
   neat Project."  
   One of the nice thing about the stickers
   is the personal note it gives to every book
   that is sent, "with love to children in Israel."

 
   The 3rd grade through 5th grade
   Shabbat School kids finished
   putting labels into books within 30 minutes.
   It would have taken one person all day
   just to finish this project!
 

  
   The boys enjoyed looking through old
   favorites and reading some new titles
   while going through each book.		    
    Craig Pearce, Shabbat School teacher at
    Congregation Roeh Israel,
    where Lynne is an active member,
    helps kids pack the books and shows them
    how to carefully straighten the contents
    of each box so that the books will
    make their long journey safely!
 
   The girls could not decide what was better,
   putting labels into the books or
   reading the books!


   A lot of love and care goes into every aspect of
   this all-volunteer project, and the final process
   of labeling and packing the books is like
   sending a hug off in a box to children overseas.  


   Josiah will not let a broken arm
   stop him from doing what he can
   to help children in Israel.
 
   For the givers, this project presents
   good opportunities for adults and children
   to interact about favorite books --
   and about the importance of
   literacy and a free exchange of ideas.
   It also provides an excellent and
   meaninful example of constructive
   and cooperative care-in-action.  
   Communication with the schools in Israel
   reinforces a belief in a future of peace.
 

(Click here to read the 2003 update - and to meet Mordechai Gutsman)

(Click here to read the November 2004 update- Tami Knopping visits Israel)