Book Bank Foundation - Celebrating Champions

This week we have a special guest, a true champion who willingly contributed his thoughts about the work of The Book Bank Foundation. Asante Samuel of the New England Patriots had a remarkable season this year -- being named to the 2008 Pro-Bowl team as the starting cornerback for the AFC!

Asante Samuel is not only a champion on the field, he is a champion for the homeless and for literacy. This week Asante writes in,

"My name is Asante Samuel of the New England Patriots. I want every person that comes to this website (http://www.thebbf.org/) to take a long look at the work we are doing. I have been a member (of The Book Bank Foundation) in full and good standing. My agent and friends Glenn Toby and Alonzo Shavers have guided me through tough times and shark filled waters but my heart and instincts have allowed me to give all I can to assist those in need.

The Book Bank Foundation is an education based foundation. We assist people in their quest for knowledge and provide those in need with the essentials to be able to live and focus so they can learn.

Ok, let's talk about it. We lost the Super Bowl but we won the opportunity to compete and improve for the next challenge in sports and in life. I got close to an interception but was out of position to grab it and run it back for a touchdown.

Come on and join me in the fight to combat illiteracy and destroy homelessness. Don't drop the ball - get active now and join The Book Bank Foundation (written by Asante Samuel, #22, New England Patriots 2 -time Super Bowl Champions)."

What makes Asante special is that he has tapped into his true potential as a football player. We all have unlimited potential within us. At The Book Bank Foundation we believe that each person on the Earth is valuable. Each person is full of gifts and talents. Each person deserves the opportunity to experience joy in life. Each person has the capacity to be a true champion.

Today, we celebrate that amazing resilience and courage that we see in those we serve. We are looking for champions of all types to join us in the work we do at The Book Bank Foundation. Champions are in action -- they have vision and they act swiftly to bring their vision into reality. Champions have passion in their hearts for using their talents to make a difference in the World. Champions have stamina -- they push themselves to get better at using their talents, resources and skills in the field of life every day.

Will you help us champion this cause? Will you be a champion for bringing about change in our World?

As we wrap up February we want to highlight some exciting champions. We send a big thanks to Claudia Timbo and her Corporate Call Center team based in Blue Bell, PA (http://www.corporatecallcenter.com/). We had the opportunity to visit their location this week and share with them the work we do at The Book Bank Foundation. Donations are already streaming in from their employees! In addition, they made a generous contribution of funds to buy children's books for those in the shelters that we serve. We look forward to a continued partnership with them in the year ahead!

Get ready for our exciting March & April Focus -- DRIVE FOR CHANGE! Yes, one coin at a time we will be driving for change across the country. Please ask anyone and everyone you know to collect their spare change through the next 60 days and donate it to help The Book Bank Foundation. Change happens one moment at a time, one thought at a time, one life at a time. . . and one coin at a time. We value all contributions big and small because it helps us to bring joy, peace and hope to those who need it the most!

The Book Bank Foundation celebrates champions this week. . .we know that as you look inside your heart and as you gaze in the mirror this week you will begin to notice the champion that you have within you!

With enthusiasm and excitement for change,

Trish Omoqui

Executive Compliance Officer

http://www.thebbf.org/

Embracing Our Power

How much power do each of us have to make a difference in the World? More than we have begun to understand. We often create so much chaos and busyness in our lives that we feel weak, overwhelmed and worn-down. Yet, when we get inspired and begin to consciously create our lives so that we are focusing our time, energy and resources on what we are passionate about, we begin to tap into our power in a new way!

Are you ready to embrace your power? Are you ready to take baby-steps each day towards bringing about positive change in our World? If so, we at The Book Bank Foundation encourage you to contact us and help us in our efforts.

• By simply sending out an email to ask for people to provide donations of clothes, coats, blankets and books, you will be amazed at how generous people are willing to be!
• By putting a change jar at home and putting all the excess change you collect during the day in the jar, you will be amazed at how quickly you can personally raise several hundreds of dollars to donate to The Book Bank Foundation!
• By setting up a concert or a bake sale -- whatever it is that gets you excited, you can quickly raise funds that will enable the Book Bank Foundation to be even more effective in our efforts!

So, embrace your power this week and take some steps towards helping the Book Bank Foundation!

Jennifer Lewis writes in, "That is what the Church on the Hill located in Flushing Queens, NY, did this week! They donated approximately 25 new blankets as well as travel size lotions, soaps and shampoo. They are also going to have a book drive in the near future! We celebrate their efforts and say a big "THANK YOU!!!"

This week I'd like to share with you a message from Rene Napoleon, the C.E.O. of The Book Bank Foundation. Rene has a huge heart and an endless amount of energy available for serving those who need our assistance:

"The Book Bank Foundation has always been about fostering a culture of service. Service to families, service to my past, service to my mentor's past. There is nothing more fulfilling to the soul or more profitable to the spirit as serving the needs of those who can't serve themselves.

Inspiring for educational growth or just showing that someone cares means a great deal to those who do not receive it. Those things help abolish the mentality that holds many people back or the fear of being great that stifles growth.

At The Book Bank Foundation we work to serve the soul, the heart, the mind, and the future.

To close this message, I would like to share these words, that have served as inspiration to me:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightening about shrinking so other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the Glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some; it's in all, everyone. And as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." (By Maryanne Williamson, First heard by me in the 1994 Nelson Mandela Inaugural Speech.)

Thanks to Rene for sharing such words of inspiration. Thanks to all of our volunteers working in the field to collect items for our February Focus! Thanks to those working behind the scenes to raise money for the Book Bank Foundation. Thanks to those volunteers who are planning upcoming events for the spring, summer and next fall!

Let's stay focused on service:)

If you are ready to take some baby-steps this week towards service, please contact us and we will be glad to share with you some ideas of things you can do to help us out!

With gratitude and power,

Trish Omoqui

Executive Compliance Officer

http://www.thebbf.org/

Where in the World is the Book Bank Foundation?

A wonderful question. . .let me tell you:

The Book Bank Foundation is spreading across the country! In the past week the BBF has been part of events in Arizona, Atlanta and New York. From raising money to accepting awards for the work the BBF is doing, our volunteers are on fire and working tirelessly to bring about change.

A quick recap of each event will bring you up to speed on the happenings for the week.

January 31, 2008 - Scottsdale, AZ

Mr. Tajji Sharp, CEO of the Echelon Event Group hosted a fantastic evening that combined a party atmosphere with a warm, good-hearted spirit in the midst of the Superbowl festivities. Tajji reports after the event, "It is truly an honor to be involved with the Book Bank Foundation which is the emodiment of conscientiousness at its best. I am ecstatic about the future prospect of the Book Bank Foundation in the Phoenix metropolitan area."

Our founder, Glenn Toby, remarked about the event, "The Book Bank Foundation has come to the desert. We are searching to heal souls, inspire and discover new methods to educate and uplift those in need. The Echelon Event Group hosted a fudraiser at Club Farenheit 128 at the Super Bowl in Scottsdale, AZ, last night (January 31, 2008). We joined with the Worthy Institue, a local charity, to combine our energy and resources to rectuirt talent, funds and assitance for our charities. Of course the CEO of the promotional marketing company did a presentation fit for a royal family and provided a great netwroking environment but shared all of his resources to platform us to the wonderful people in Arizona. I felt the spirit of celebration for a great cause. Nothing comes close to serving people in need. The wonderful people from various cities who joined us at the event made this a memorable night!"

Across the country in Queens, NY, the same night. . .

Jennifer Lewis, Executive Secretary of the BBF writes in, "The BBF, in addition to a few other organiations, attended a "thank you" recognition ceremony on 1/31/08 for everything we have done for the residents of the Jamaica Family Center. Rene Napoleon, CEO, spoke to the group and received a plaque which the BBF was awarded. Residents shared their personal stories and thanked everyone for always remembering them--for the kind gifts and inspirational messages shared. Chris Daniel, Rene Napoleon and I also attended the event."

Not more than a few days later in Atlanta you find another BBF event . . .

Cosmopolitan Concierge hosted an initmate fundraiser on Fat Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at the Voila Market Cafe in Decatur, GA. The mood was festive and the event was attended by many of the Atlanta based volunteers as well as others in the Atlanta area who were getting introduced to the Book Bank Foundation for the first time. Art Franklin, two time Emmy award winning journalist, was the Chef Du Jour for the evening. Art's new book, Give it All You Got, a Message to My Young Brothers, is a must read for all of you looking for a great, inspirational book.

From my perspective, the highlight of the night was when the volunteers for the Book Bank Foundation took the stage and told the audience about why their hearts were on fire for the work the BBF does -- from a journalist who wrote an article about the BBF, to a long-time volunteer who was able to get a car dealership to give some vehicles to the BBF, to a young hairstylist in Atlanta who is collecting clothes at her salon -- volunteer after volunteer recounted how touched they are by being involved with the work of the BBF.

We thank Art Franklin, the owner of Voila Market Cafe, and Craig Caldwell and Rebecca Witmer of Cosmopolitan Concierge for hosting such a wonderful event!!

So, you can see the Book Bank Foundation is spreading across the country quickly.

Are you ready to get involved?

Is your heart on fire for bringing about change and touching the lives of the underserved in your community? If so, please join us in our FEBRUARY FOCUS.

Our February Focus is: collecting items to WARM the bodies and spirits of the homeless.


Here's how you can help -- we ask for your assistance in helping us to collect more items that will bless the thousands of homeless men, women and children that we serve. As winter winds down and comes to a close, please donate any hats, scarves, gloves, coats, blankets, sweaters, long sleeve shirts, warm pants, hooded sweatshirts -- anything warm that you've outgrown or no longer use will be put to great use by the Book Bank Foundation.

Please let us know if you have items that need to be picked up. We will arrange to get these items from you. Just drop us an email at info@bookbankfoundation.org or call us at 718-989-2168.

If you would like to organize a local campaign to collect items, we encourage you to do so! Help your friends and colleagues clean out their closets. Also, empty your book shelves of books that are collecting dust -- we can use them. We need children's books, novels and non-fiction books. . . we are happy for any and all books that you send our way!

So, Where in the World is the Book Bank Foundation??

The Book Bank Foundation lives in the hearts of its volunteers all across the country. The Book Bank Foundations is in the streets of New York, Atlanta, Baltimore. . . we are traveling the U.S. finding opportunities to give our gifts and talents to bring joy, hope and love to those in need.

We trust the Book Bank Foundation will also be in your heart, mind and prayers.

With greatest sincerity and joy,

Trish Omoqui
Executive Compliance Officer
http://www.thebbf.org/

Getting to Know The Book Bank Foundation

The Book Bank Foundation is headed for a year of expansion and amazing growth in 2008! In light of the excitement ahead, we decided to launch a blog to keep you posted on Book Bank Foundation news and events that deserve the spotlight this year. The other purpose of this blog is to give newcomers to The Book Bank Foundation a look into the heart of the BBF -- what we stand for, what our volunteers have to say and what our vision is for 2008 and beyond.

Before we begin to highlight events for 2008, I wanted to make sure you got a taste of one of the most amazing events the BBF holds each year -- it is called Shelter From the Streets. For the past 10 years, the BBF sets aside a day near the holidays to bring donations of all types (clothes, toys, books, toiletries, phone cards and other surprises) to those who are spending the holidays in homeless shelters throughout New York City. We want to take the time to say thanks to all of our donors for the day. In particular the Book Bank Foundation sends out a huge THANK YOU to one of our donors, Zoo York, who provided us with new clothing to share with the homeless.

2007 Shelter from the Streets was my first opportunity to take part in this event. It was one of the most powerful, soul-touching events I've been a part of in my lifetime. In each location we visited, there were heartfelt exchanges of love between the volunteers and the residents of the shelters. We took the time to sing carols with our friends in the shelter, to talk with them and to even shed some tears with them.

One of the most touching moments of the day for me was at the men's shelter we visited, the New York Rescue Mission in Manhattan. It was the last shelter we stopped at for the day and we arrived around 9 p.m. The founder of the BBF, Mr. Glenn Toby (pictured above), was introduced and called to the stage to say a few words to the gentlemen in the shelter. As he began speaking, he recalled his years as a homeless child and then became silent. A few tears formed in his eyes as he stood quietly at the podium. Everyone in the shelter felt the power of the love in his voice and in his silence. The moments of silence that followed his words were so powerful -- it was as if every person in the room--volunteers, shelter staff and the homeless were all joined together as one spirit. I stood there taking in the moment and feeling so grateful to be part of this event.

There is such power in spending time and energy to share love with others, to join them where they are in their life circumstances and to share resources to brighten up their days.

In the words of another volunteer who joined us for the day, Mr. Ed Tseng writes:

"Shelter From the Streets was one of the most amazing events I have ever been part of. As a peak performance expert and mind/body/spirit trainer, I see that much of society is concerned with "me, me, me"instead of "we, we, we." There's something powerful about people helping people. Regardless of what color we are on the outside, we are all the same on the inside. We're just tying to make the most out of life and attain happiness and fulfillment. But somewhere along the line, we lost touch with our connection with others, especially those less fortunate than us. They are almost looked down upon.

The Book Bank Foundation is an organization without funding, which speaks volumes of their passion. I have never been around such "real" people with huge hearts. That includes, the homeless as well as the volunteers. I am a big fan of the BBF and am willing to help out in any way that I can. If you are reading this and are not currently a volunteer for the BBF, please get involved. It will not only change people's lives, it will change YOURS."

Ed Tseng is right on with his comments. If you have passion for helping others, then the BBF is the place for you. Join us throughout the year as a volunteer. We are already collecting toys, books, clothes and other supplies for next year's Shelter From the Streets and other similar events that are held throughout the country.

On a closing note, I want to share with you the comments Mr. Marvin Brown, long-time volunteer for the BBF, shared with me the day after Shelter From the Streets 2007: "I'm ready to get started collecting donations for next year. It is days like this that I live for -- to bring about change to our community." Marvin and all the other volunteers of the BBF live, breathe and love every opportunity they have for serving their communities. If you have that type of energy, we need your help.

To learn more about the BBF, please visit us at http://www.thebbf.org/ .

Visit our blog on a weekly basis to get updates on the difference we are making in the lives of those we serve.

With passion for change,

Trish Omoqui

Executive Compliance Officer

The Book Bank Foundation