Concept: Collect new books and donate them to the site of your choice.

The Women’s American ORT Adopt-A-Shelf program brings the community into the unified campaign. Every Women’s American ORT activity and meeting can serve as a collection point. Also, the broader community can become a significant partner by providing space for Adopt-A-Shelf collection containers.

Only three steps are necessary for your area to participate:

• Decide where you want to donate books and ask for appropriate approval/guidelines.
• Use every opportunity to collect books.
• Present books under the WAO banner for publicity.

A shelf can be anywhere:

• School: public or private; local or inner city
• Synagogue library
• Jewish Day School library
• Jewish Community Center library
• Day Care Center, Neighborhood House, Halfway House, Abused Women’s/Children’s Shelter
• Municipal Library: local or inner city
• Hospitals/Hospices: children’s or adult wings
• Senior Citizen Housing Complex
• Nursing Homes/Assisted Living Homes
• Juvenile Correctional Facilities

Use your imagination. Any place that people gather – where books should be available – can be an Adopt-A-Shelf location.

Spread the word and collect books at Women’s American ORT events:

• Installations and fundraisers: honoree events, an “Evening of Good Taste,” designer showcase houses, golf tournaments, donor events, fashion shows and more. Your event invitations can ask attendees to bring a book. Give public recognition at the event to everyone who brings a book – a flower, special name tag, etc.
• Meetings – members can be asked to bring books to every meeting.
• Trips – participants bring books.
• Community Gathering – participants bring books.
• Membership Recruitment – potential members bring books.

Community Collection Points:
(If Adopt-A-Shelf site doesn’t require books from a specified list)

• Malls
• Libraries
• Bookstores
• Synagogues/Churches
• Supermarkets
• Schools

Guidelines:

• Appoint a chair for the project. Adopt-A-Shelf is part of the Community Affairs Portfolio; however, any chapter member can be named to chair the project.
• Explain the program in detail when making the initial contact to the potential Adopt-A-Shelf site. Explain that all donated books will be new and will have a specially designed Women’s American ORT bookplate. In either written or personal contact, be sure to explain the work of WAO and the ORT program. WAO’s Public Policy Resolution on Education would be appropriate to include.
• Get a written agreement from the appropriate person at the site. The agreement should specify whether the books are to be from a particular list (provided by the site or other organization such as “Mentoring USA”). If no specific list is required, get the age range, general subject matter and other specifics that would be useful.
• Target the site of your choice, but keep in mind that ORT’s focus on technical and high-tech training makes for a natural fit with a school or public library’s career and computer/high-tech reference sections.
• Place a bookplate (available through the WAO National Office Supply Dept.) in each donated book. (The bookplate provides space to include the name of your local chapter.)
• Publicize both the collection of books and the final presentation in cooperation with the site. The presentation makes a great local news story and photo opportunity. Include recipients – kids and teachers, as well as WAO members and local officials – as appropriate.
• Tie in Adopt-A-Shelf with calendar events such as National Library Month (April), National Volunteer Month (April), and Jewish Book Month (November).
• Acknowledge all who participate in the project – individuals, corporations, businesses.
• Emphasize to members that Adopt-A-Shelf is a hands-on program where WAO members (and community friends) buy books for the intended site. Members may arrange for new books that meet the site’s requirements to be donated from an outside source such as a bookstore.

Chapter funds or fund raisers should not be used to purchase books.