Salute to a legacy [2013-07-07]
One of the joys of running a non-profit organization is connecting with other people with similar missions and passion. Today I want to pay tribute to Dr. Betty Halliwell of Books for Peace (BFP). Sadly Betty passed away this week, but the echoes of her work will continue for years to come.
BFP’s concept is simple but brilliant – new and used books that are discards from U.S. schools and publishers get matched up with schools and libraries in the Philippines and Ukraine through requests by U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers serving there. The Peace Corps Volunteers are on the scene to know and communicate what materials are needed. They also ensure that the books get to the intended place, and they can assist teachers in creative use of the materials. Even heavily used books from America schools are orders of magnitude better than the textbooks that Philippines students use. The colored pictures and heavy, durable paper of American textbooks are absolutely dazzling in comparison.
We first met Betty during our U.S. Peace Corps days. Early on in our service we learned about BFP and began working with the teachers at the high school to prepare requests. Normally the show-stopper for such an opportunity is the cost of shipping, an insurmountable obstacle for schools in developing countries. The amazing thing about BFP is that the shipping costs were also paid. Soon boxes of marvelous books were rolling in to Compostela National High School, an almost unbelievable bounty to the teachers and students. While my focus was on science and math, I soon branched out to learn more about the curriculum for all departments so I could work with Betty to discover high-value treasures for the teachers across the campus.
Usually when something is “too good to be true”, it is – but BFP must be the exception that proves the rule. For our entire time in the Peace Corps, Betty continued her generosity and care in sending materials. She soon branched out to assist the other three high schools in Compostela. The “Mrs. Halliwell Fan Club” included every single teacher at our school. It is perhaps hard to fathom how spectacular resources in American schools can seem until you’ve seen how little is available in a developing country. It is even harder to fathom the amazing generosity of spirit, time, and resources that went into making this possible.
Neal and I returned to America with hearts full of gratitude to Betty and Books for Peace, so it was a matter of only a few months before we headed to Burbank to meet Betty in person. Firsthand, we saw her complete dedication and commitment to BFP. Her home was optimized fully for BFP operations: the dining room was reference materials, the living room juvenile fiction, biographies in the back bedroom, and so on. The crown jewel was “the Outback”, a book warehouse built in the back yard that had rows and rows of high bookcases crammed with textbooks. I can’t imagine how many tons of books flowed from that home to students and teachers overseas, but it truly boggles the mind to consider how many lives have been touched over the years by Betty and BFP.
Not surprisingly, Betty became a huge inspiration and guide to Neal and me as we transitioned from being Peace Corps Volunteers to running our own non-profit. We traveled to her home every few months to help with organizing and packing books and to brainstorm new opportunities. Neal created a book inventory system for Betty to help manage the flow of material and communication into and out of BFP.
Betty fell ill late in 2012. However she carried on the BFP mission, even when she was ultimately bedridden. Her devoted husband Mike cared for her and served as the hands and feet of BFP.
We lost Betty last Wednesday, but thankfully we will not lose BFP with her. Mike intends to carry on, and there are many Returned Peace Corps Volunteers standing by to honor Betty’s legacy by helping him.
“Never forget that you are one of a kind. Never forget that if there weren't any need for you in all your uniqueness to be on this earth, you wouldn't be here in the first place. And never forget, no matter how overwhelming life's challenges and problems seem to be, that one person can make a difference in the world. In fact, it is always because of one person that all the changes that matter in the world come about. So be that one person. ” R. Buckminster Fuller
And so Betty was. We will miss her and her single-minded focus on sharing with others her love of books, but we are deeply grateful and enriched to have known her