The Alexandria Project

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout can receive. My community action plan was focused on literacy by bringing brand new books and reading material to the clients of CATS: A Women’s Place, a transitional housing and treatment program for women in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The following is the 2014 report of The Alexandria Project to the Girl Scout Council:

Describe the issue your project addressed and its root cause, what impact
you had hoped to make, and who benefited:

My volunteer effort, The Alexandria Project, puts new and high-quality used books in the hands of homeless women and children. The idea was sparked from my work as a bookseller for Bookshop Benicia where I have been employed for the past three years. I was heartbroken to learn that books are being thrown out. These are Advance Review Copies of novels, otherwise known as ARCs or “Pre-reads” that are sent by publishers before the official release date to promote novels. Many independent bookstores, like the one I work at, do not always have the space to store them, or staff to read them all. Because they are advance copies, bookstores are not legally allowed to sell them, and consequently, far too many are put in the recycling bin. Rather than allow these books to go to waste, I wanted to see them redistributed and put to better use, and that is how I became acquainted with A Woman’s Place, a homeless program run by the nonprofit organization called Community Awareness & Treatment Services, Inc., or CATS for short.

A Woman’s Place, located in the South of Market and Tenderloin Districts of San Francisco has been designated as a “safe haven” by the US Housing and Urban Development due to its demonstrated ability to provide supportive housing and support to homeless women and their children, including those impacted by domestic violence and living with debilitating health conditions. The Drop-In Center provides immediate safety and respite from the streets, while the Residential Program provides longer-term housing combined with counseling.

After meeting with the A Woman’s Place Program Coordinator, I learned that the program does not have the resources to provide books. This is how I am helping. As I work at a bookstore that has too many Pre-read and ARC books, and not enough space, I am able to acquire the donation of new, high-quality novels, and also engage other community organizations to do the same. The Alexandria Project fixes both problems with simple communication and an efficient allocation of resources. Providing the means for fostering literacy is a simple act, yet has profound potential.

The National Literary Trust found that “literacy has tangible relationships with many aspects of a person’s life, not just educational attainment, but also economic well-being, aspirations, family circumstances, physical and mental health as well as civic/cultural participation.” On the individual level, Dr. Lewis, Cognitive Neuropsychologist says: “Losing yourself in a book is the ultimate relaxation. It really doesn’t matter what book you read, by losing yourself in a thoroughly engrossing book you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world and spend a while exploring the domain of the author’s imagination.”

The main goal was promoting literacy and I wanted to do that by putting books in the hands of people who would really appreciate them and might not otherwise have the chance to acquire new books. I asked my boss if I could find a home for the pre-reads and she happily agreed, giving me boxes full of books, over 200 books in total. Slowly my project started to form. My Girl Scout leader, Betsy Radtke, put me in touch with my advisor, Sylvia Guinon. We had meetings for hours discussing the Gold Award; I had a basic idea of what I wanted to do, but with her help, I refined the idea and submitted my proposal.

I explored homeless programs and connected with Community Awareness and Treatment Services (CATS) and made arrangements to talk with the Program Director and Program Coordinator for A Woman’s Place. I presented my idea to them, and they helped me determine the actual needs of the shelter and its clients. More insight was gained by touring the facilities. On other visits, they helped me figure out the logistics of where to install the microlibraries so the books would be accessible and in safe locations so as not to impede daily operations or impact living space. I took measurements of the floor and walls and gave them samples of the books I had already collected to get a sense of clients’ preferences and literacy levels.

My goal for this project was to gently incorporate reading into the clients’ daily lives. The bookshelves provided high-quality reading materials for readers of any skill level, ranging from simplistic children’s books to complex non-fiction writing. The shelves were put in locations clients normally found themselves in. The downstairs drop-in center had a shelf installed in the main recreational area near the front entrance to the room, and near the television. Upstairs, in the longer-term stay facilities, clients could find the bookshelves in a recreation room, with comfortable couches for relaxing and reading. The shelves couldn’t hold all the books I had provided, so I worked with the shelter’s staff and volunteers to make space in the downstairs storage area for all the extra books. I wanted the clients to have a sense of ownership of these books. Upstairs we installed a rotating library system, and downstairs we left the shelves open so that if a client enjoyed her book and wished to keep it, she could take it with her anywhere she went, and keep it however long she wanted. I reloaded the shelves when they began to run low with donations collected. The collections of books provided in these miniature libraries are unique in the fact that they are nearly all contemporary works, and being Advanced Reading Copies the books have no resell value, their covers are clearly marked as not for sale.

To stock the microlibraries, I sought out donations. I signed up to be a giver in a program called World Book Night, an organization that distributes free books through a system of givers in order to spread a love of reading, and was accepted to the program. The conditions are that participants give donated books, usually bestsellers, to otherwise non-readers. On April 23rd, World Book Night, I added 40 books to the donations I provided to AWP. Through a suggestion given by my Gold Award committee, I checked with the organizers of the Oakland Museum’s White Elephant Sale. I made an appointment with them, and explained what I was looking for, and the staff and volunteers were incredibly supportive and helpful. The Oakland Museum’s White Elephant Sale donated boxes of used books in excellent condition, 200+ books, as well as framed art, and bookshelves for the project. I had to do some repairs on the bookshelves in order to make sure that they were sturdy enough to support the books, like reinforcing the backing, and they ended up fitting perfectly in A Women’s Place I also applied for the Soroptomist’s Violet Richardson Award, which was offered through the Benicia Chapter, for high school students engaged in community service work to benefit women. I was the chosen recipient of a $500 award, as did the A Woman’s Place Program. This award to A Woman’s Place is helping to supply homeless clients with the services they need, and also provides funds to help with any unexpected upkeep to the microlibaries. I also conducted an aluminum can drive to raise money to purchase individual book lights, which is something the A Woman’s Place staff requested.

What did you learn about the root cause of the issue you were addressing as
you worked on your project?

I learned a lot through the research for this project, facts that both surprised and saddened me. Literacy has such a huge potential to change people’s life for better and for worse. Unfortunately, it is an issue that is hard to see because many can pass by with basic functional literacy. Illiteracy affects some of the most marginalized members of society. For example, 60% of adult inmates can only read at or below a fourth-grade level and 43% of adults with the lowest level of literacy live below the poverty line. By just having access to reading materials, people can benefit from simple but important effects of reading. Reading provides mental stimulation and exercises the brain; the National Academy of Sciences has conducted studies that show reading can slow, and possibly prevent the progress of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Reading helps reduce stress, increase empathy, improve memory, achieve better writing skills, and stronger analytical thinking. In addition to all these personal benefits, it is also a benefit to the community. The National Endowment for the Arts found that people who read are more likely to be more engaged, both civically and culturally creating an increase in political efficacy.

How will your project be sustained beyond your involvement?

The clients of A Woman’s Place have the opportunity to play an active role in the library system. In the upstairs, there is a rotating librarian system for women in longer stay recovery programs. The goal is that this will inspire further interest in not only the books on the shelf but also in reading in general.

Explain the national and/or global link to your project:

In America 14% of adults are considered illiterate, that’s 32 million people. Those who cannot read by the 4th grade are 4 times more likely to drop out of high school. In prison, 63% of inmates are functionally illiterate. Illiteracy costs America 2% of its GDP annually. But the effects worse across the globe. In developing countries mothers who can read are 50% more likely to have children who survive past the age of five.

Describe any obstacles you encountered and what you did to overcome them:

I realized during this project the importance of planning. I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to complete the Gold Award on top of applying for colleges, finishing my senior year, and balancing a job on top of that, but I knew I had to finish the project, even if it took a while. So I just chipped away at it, bit by bit I worked on the project. I really had to work on my own scheduling. I was helped along by the support and expectations of my wonderful team of helpers, though. I did modify my initial plan a bit. I had anticipated that other bookstores in the area would be eager to donate books yet found that their ARCs were reserved for other purposes, including distribution to other charities, which lead me to seek other sources for donations. I was originally intended to establish a website for the project, yet found this to be unfeasible due to costs, so I created and distributed bookmarks to promote the project, which included my contact information. Another small change had to do with creating cozy reading niches for the clients, which was suggested by the Gold Award Advisory Committee. Rather than paint a mural or do something which might impede the daily operations of this 24/7 facility, I collected donated art pieces for A Woman’s Place. The A Woman’s Place Coordinator worked with the program’s art therapist to select the artwork to be hung on the walls.

Describe what steps you took to inspire others through sharing your project
(Web site, blog, presentations, posters, videos, articles, and so on.):

I presented the Alexandria Project at multiple venues aimed at women and girls. I gave speeches on what my project was and who is affected, as well as creating visual representations of the Project in both physical and digital forms. I created bookmarks with the contact information for the project which I handed out at the events in which I presented. In March 2014, I was a featured speaker at the Soroptomist Annual Luncheon as the recipient of the Violet Richardson Award. This event was attended by over 100 community members, and information about the Alexandria Project was also published in their Spring 2014 newsletter. I also presented the project in Solano County at Travis Air Force Base in May at a county wide, end-of-year Girl Scout recognition event, which was attended by the Executive Director of the Girl Scouts of Northern California and approximately 200 audience members consisting of Girl Scouts and their families. At two other events, an Elks Lodge Scholarship recognition event, I presented the project to about 150 community members in March, as well as at a Benicia Girl Scout Closing Ceremony attended by the whole span of Girl Scouts, from Daisies to Ambassadors, and their families, approximately 75 people. In these presentations, I described the necessity of my project and what I had done to accomplish it. I handed out bookmarks with the Alexandria Project logo, a brief summary of the project, and my contact information. I also created a poster, full of pictures of the project in action, facts about illiteracy, and homelessness. I shared this information in a presentation to my AP Government class at Benicia High School, along with a PowerPoint presentation with statistics on the effects of illiteracy

Describe what you learned from this project including leadership skills you
developed. What did you learn about yourself as a result of this project:

While I learned a lot about organization, teamwork, and collaboration, as well as commitment and seeing the project through, I really surprised myself when it came to public speaking. For The Project, I had to explain my goals to people, and that meant communicating with a lot of people who I had even never seen before, let alone talked to. As a fairly shy person, this initially felt excruciating, although admittedly a necessary aspect of the Project, but I had put so much thought, time, and passion into this project, that I ended up surprising myself that speaking about it came naturally and I actually enjoyed myself. I knew what I wanted to say about the project and I did it.

What was the most successful aspect of your project?

Technically the most successful part was obtaining all the donations from the Oakland Museum White Elephant sale and the cash donation from the Soroptomists to help provide the substance for the project. Both organizations were incredibly generous and the library expanded greatly due to their contributions. My personal favorite part was hearing the responses from the Woman’s Place clients. One client said she found a book that she loved and took with her everywhere.

What aspects of your project would you change or do differently if you could
start over?

I would have started it earlier, perhaps my junior year of high school! I didn’t realize the time it would take to plan out everything, look for advisors, and do the background requirements before I could start giving books to people. I would have loved to have just shown up at CATS door and handed them a box of books, but I realize now, the planning and coordination was abetter approach. By meeting with the program organizers, I was better able to meet the needs of the clients in ways than I would not have originally done, like getting a wider source for donations, plus leveraging greater support for this work from members of my community. It was a surprise to see the enthusiasm the project elicited from so many people, including strangers, who played contributed.

What community issue was addressed?

A huge concern in this project was bringing reading materials to homeless women in CATS: A Woman’s Place. Research has proven that access to reading materials fosters better literacy rates. Literacy improves many aspects of life, ranging from higher income levels on an individual level, and saving money in the GDP on a national level.

What are concrete examples that you made a difference?

Personal testimony from A Woman’s Place Clients explaining a love of reading: “I’ve always been a reader. I love nonfiction. I would read this one [book] again. You know how when you see a movie and you learn something new the second time? That’s how I feel about this book. I took it with me everywhere!”

This project brought awareness of the challenges clients face at A Woman’s Place, and as a result, the program received a $500 dollar donation from the Benicia Soroptomists, whose purpose is to support women in need.

What examples of the project’s impact might you see in the future?

In the short term, I believe the project helps to alleviate some of the boredom experienced by the clients at the shelter during downtime hours. Reading provides an alternative to watching TV, the main activity in the community/sleeping room. In the long run, I hope the project will engaging more women in reading in the future. I increased the accessibility of books of all genres and reading levels to the clients of A Woman’s place by giving them easy access to reading materials, I hope women will gain some of the benefits of reading, such as increased comprehension, enhanced analytical thinking, expanded vocabulary, and just as importantly, some private respite and escape that reading often provides.

What skills, knowledge, or attitudes did your target audience gain?

While presenting to various members of the community, I created a Powerpoint presentation on the effects of literacy not only on individuals but on a larger scale, to the community and global level. I hope my audience realized the importance of literacy and reading, but also how it affects their daily lives.

What examples demonstrate that the target audience gained skills or knowledge?

Because of issues of client confidentiality, I relied on staff to survey the clients about the books provided. The Program Coordinator said the clients of A Woman’s Place thoroughly enjoyed the new resources provided and enjoyed having the books available to them. Demand for the books was very high; I libraries stocked the bookshelves twice since the initial installation in the period of time from March – June 2014. Staff said the addition of the books widened options for clients to do and helped them in practical ways, like giving them something they could do after “lights out” in their own cots as a way to unwind and relax.

What would be examples of long-term impact on your target audience?

I hope the project inspires a love of reading, but also provide e the benefits that literacy produces, like better analytical thinking, a greater understanding of the world and other people and cultures around them, and a heightened sense of political efficacy, to name a few. Not only will the books be helping A Woman’s Place, but also the donations I secured will benefit the entire organization and the women that it supports.