I admit it, I am incredibly high maintenance, but not in the usual way. I don’t wear makeup and I don’t have one of those really annoyingly-cliched shoe fetishes that all the popular women seem to have. I actually think high heels are of the devil. But I do realize that I have certain needs that I insist are met, in a timely fashion, too. It’s gonna get ugly if I have to wait to use my own bathroom, and there are whole bags of potato chips in our house with my name written on the bag in Sharpie marker. The kids just somehow know… don’t touch mama’s chips.
But I do try to balance out the complete all-about-me-ness by being a good person when I can. I brake for squirrels if no one’s behind me and if it won’t make me spill my margarita. My “I own a business, so I need an iPad” tablet’s memory is almost completely full because of all of the kiddo apps and The Wiggles music downloads. And I always throw my change in the little slot on the drive-thru window to make sure it goes to Ronald McDonald House instead of making my purse sound like a one-horse open sleigh.
But today, I’m sitting here with my hand out, hoping you might want to help. If you don’t want to help, I’d love for you to pass this post on to someone you know, someone who doesn’t eat live kittens like you obviously do.
I’ve blogged before about how I’m a teacher in the coolest, most elite private school in the country. Okay, it’s actually a maximum security juvenile detention facility, but that makes it all the more exclusive. For the second year in a row, my classroom was chosen to be a World Book Night donation site. That means the WBN organizers are giving me a set number of copies of a great book for me to pass out to my students. The book will become theirs to keep. The first thing we do is write their names in the book, because it’s theirs and for many of my students it’s the first and only book they own. This year, I’m receiving 20 copies of the incredible, world-changing book, Fahrenheit 451.
We’re a 48-bed facility.
The rules of WBN are 20 copies of the book, and that’s it. And due to the nature of our facility, I have no way of knowing how many youth will be housed in my school on April 23rd. So I’m asking for help.
If you are at all interested in giving one copy of the book, I would love it and I would even write your name in it (but not your address, because that could just lead to problems that nobody wants). If you want to help, I can accept an email gift certificate from Amazon or Barnes and Noble for the paperback edition of the book. Then, if I don’t actually need your copy, I can either a) refund it to you or b) use it to put towards for a classroom set of the novel… your choice. If you wanted to send an Amazon certificate for just the price of the book, I could also purchase any new book for the school library if I didn’t need any more copies of the book. I will be happy to email everyone back the online receipt once the book is purchased, which I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure the right accountant could use on your taxes since we are one of those 501c(3) deals.
If you are interested in helping or sharing this, email me and I will give you the details. And thanks in advance for the book and for not running over a squirrel!
Lorca Damon 
[…] 2. Lorca Damon (LorcaDamon.com) […]
Would love to help out, I believe all children should have their own books.. I am in the UK, do I just go to Amazon.com and ask for gift certificate to be emailed to your address?
Would you be open to receiving previously read books? Friend’s checking may have 6 copies
Gift card on the way for $50. Books have made such a difference in my life and the lives of my kids.
I so wish I had money to help, but alas, the mortgage comes first. If I had gotten F451 for WBN, I would send you *all* my copies. (I got “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court”.) But, I have tweeted. Best of luck!
UPDATE: If you reached out to me yesterday or today with a gift card, I’ve bought six copies of the book with it. In addition to the four that were already donated, that brings me to 30 copies (including what WBN sends out). Right now, we have 37 students, but more people have promised a book. I’ll keep you posted on the need! Thank you EVERYONE!
Merci I will purchase a book but let me know how not sure what to do.
Certainly! The very easiest thing is to go to Amazon.com and buy a gift card. With the price of the book and shipping, $12 should cover it (I dunno if you can do the number 12). You can have the gift card emailed to lorcadamon at yahoo. If you want to actually purchase the book and just have it shipped, you can do that too. Email me at that addy and I’ll give you the school’s address. THANK YOU, ROCK STAR!
Awesome! Fahrenheit 451 is one of my favorite books from my own high school days, and the second book I ever read by Ray Bradbury (the first was Something Wicked This Way Comes, in junior high). I was going to participate in World Book Night this year, but have gotten caught up in the madness of trying to move to another state, so I would love to help out with this instead. Can I send a gift certificate to the email you mentioned in the comment above?
Absolutely! You’re amazing!
Reblogged this on D.C. McMillen and commented:
Hey folks, it is time for me to do my first real and official reblog ever! Check out the incredible Lorca Damon’s post. She swears she doesn’t ask for much, and though I’ve not met her in person, I tend to agree, except I have no clue how she manages to get away with not sharing chips with her household. My strategy to getting any chips at all is to buy several bags at once and then hope my boyfriend passes out in a greasy carb and sodium filled stupor, at which point I eat the ones that missed his mouth to land somewhere on his shirt. Of course, if he wakes up at any point during the tail end of my carefully laid plan, he assumes I’m hitting on him. It’s turned into a vicious cycle, actually. I bring home three bags of chips and he thinks we’re in for a really hot night. Whatever, it works for us. I have to do something to work off that junk food.
Love this! What a fantastic win-win-win!
You got it!
I want to help too!! Saw your email on the other post, so will be in touch shortly…. Kids should have books!
You’re amazing! Thank you!!!
Don’t know exactly how to let you know, I’ve just discovered your blog and never commented before, but I’m a sucker for books and would love to help out!!
You just did let me know! You rock! My email is lorcadamon at yahoo. We’ll talk!