CAJONES LIBRARY UPDATE

[Jzmackenzie]

Just to let everyone know, the ground breaking for the library in Cajones has not begun because the global economic recession is still alive and well.

We very much appreciate all the help we have been given. We are eagerly looking forward to the day when we will break ground, but it is not likely to be very soon. The estimated cost of the library is currently about $24,940.94 USD (actual: $293,422.88 pesos). We have held 6 physical fundraisers, one online fundraiser, and one private donation.

We have been trying since 2007 to raise the money to build a rural library. We have over 5,000 books waiting for a home in a public library. Our physical fundraisers and averaged $3.75USD per person per fundraiser. We have had one private donation of $500USD. Our online fundraiser was about two months ago. Although we had a $20 donation and a lot of really nice promotional words of encouragement from a patron in Europe; the effort generated only 5 more cash donations for literary improvements. The results were $240USD that was all sent into an escrow account in the USA.

We very much appreciate your emotional support and all the donations, but we are a long way from ground-breaking.

Summerland Corp, or Tierra de Verano

[mr bill]

Jacquie,


Thanks for the update. Its unfortunate that the project goals are yet to be met. However you already have the most important part of the library - the books. Unless they are all classical literature they are becoming more dated the longer they gather dust in storage. Why not find an alternative way to get them into circulation?

*Is there room for them [or a good part of the collection] in the Cajones Community Building you built a few years back?

*Could you get the approval of the donors to re-target their donations so they can be applied toward rent? A small tienda or local in Cajones can probably be had for 500 pesos a month. $750 would cover 15 months of rent. Perhaps the space could just be donated to the project.

*Until the library becomes a physical reality could the "Cajones Collection" be put on loan to another public library in the city of Guanajuato?

None of these alternate suggestions is a perfect solution but each one offers a way to get the books out of storage and into the hands of readers which is where the books should be.

Bill

[Track Anything]

Jacquie,

We would like to help. Do you have a link where we can make a donation?

Frank