Bookmobile News

This holiday season we encourage you to give a very special gift: a gift of the Free Bookmobile experience to children in need.  We all know that the lack of public resources is hurting our schools and libraries but there is an immediate and tangible way to help!  Now you can fund a bookmobile visit to a local low-income children’s program or school, and honor a family member or friend in the process.  For each tax-deductible $75 donation we receive in their name, we can get high quality books into the hands of kids who really need them.  Kids who experience a variety of barriers to access to literacy materials yet could benefit so much.

Not only that, the children will enjoy the entire Free Bookmobile experience – the excitement of climbing on board, exploring the magic we have tucked away in each nook and shelf.  Feeling the empowerment of choosing books of their very own to take home and read with their families.  We’ll notify your loved ones with acknowledgment of your generosity, so they’ll know they have helped provided crucial literacy support to their community.  We can even combine smaller gifts to make this outreach happen!

Giving is easy.  We’ve upgraded our donation software for a smoother online experience, so just click on the picture of the present or go to http://sonomacountybookmobile.org/donate.html.  Enter the amount of your gift(s) in the new Google Checkout box and hey – you’ve saved yourself a trip to the mall!  We’ll email you for the names of your honorees, or we can send you gift notification cards to present yourself.  If you’d prefer to mail a check, please include the same information and send to:

Free Bookmobile of Sonoma County

PO Box 159

Santa Rosa, CA 95402

Wishing you peaceful holidays, and thanks for your support!

Facebook has obviously matured into a strong tool for sharing and networking, two of the things we at the Free Bookmobile enjoy doing the most.  We have thus established a presence on the social networking site and look forward to providing our friends and fans the inside scoop on our programs.  We have some photos and a bit of news posted already, and the content will grow quickly as we explore the possibilities.  Please check it out, be sure to “Like” us, and tell your friends!

http://www.facebook.com/freebookmobile

As always, we are happy for your feedback.  What would you like to see offered on our page?

We have to admit that, from the beginning, people often assumed that we were part of Sonoma County’s official government services.  The fact that the local library system is called “The Sonoma County Library” and that public libraries are the usual sponsors of outreach like ours strengthened this supposed link.  We spend time each day we are out giving away books clarifying our status as an independent non-profit not formally associated with the library system.  So it’s finally time to make an adjustment and reduce confusion!

From here forward, we will be known as the Free Bookmobile of Sonoma County.  It’s important that we still describe the area that we serve and we are especially glad that the new name further emphasizes the fact that the books are free.  Our website will be sporting new logos soon, and because our vehicle hasn’t yet been painted, we’re in time to get our new name on there…as soon as we can raise the funds to do so!