Books are powerful in many ways.
For the reader they can be educational, inspirational and therapeutic. For sick kids they can be a lifeline.
Children’s Hospital Book Market happens three times a year at St. Vital Mall but books can be donated throughout the year.
Winnipeg Firefighters accept books at every city fire hall and all Dufrense Furniture stores take book donations for the many volunteers who sort, price and sell books on behalf of sick kids in Manitoba.
Word on the shelf is that the Feb. 2-4 sale will see special interest books flying off the tables. The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre’s Playwright Festival featuring Agatha Christie will have her fans searching for her mysteries and plays.
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- Some of Agatha Christie’s books to be found at Children’s Hospital Book Market.
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- Children’s Hospital Book market also has a selection of Vintage Agatha Christie.
What better way to celebrate Valentine’s than with a romance book or some fun loving books for that special book lover.
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- It seems dating may not be all roses.
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- Some lucky fella could find this book on his pillow Feb.14.
Spring is just around the corner. Really. And the book market has many books on gardening and lawn care and manliness:
And Gnomes. Don’t forget the Gnomes:
There’s a lot of fun to be had browsing the 65 categories (there are 16 tables of kids books alone) while meeting the most interesting people and supporting the very serious business of raising funds for pediatric research and supplying much needed equipment for young patients not covered by the government.
Tips to downsizing your personal library and how to donate books to Children’s Hospital Book Market
Be at peace with your decision to downsize/declutter in five easy steps:
- Spend a few moments in gratitude for the books that have accompanied you on life’s journey.
- Celebrate all your books by recording titles in a special notebook or digitally, perhaps noting where they were purchased or who gave them to you and what you liked about the book.
- Take pictures of your very favorite books.
- Put the books into three piles: Keep – Donate – Recycle.
- When you have completed your downsizing, celebrate!
Evaluate your space and decide on the number of books you can keep.
For a large inventory it is helpful to stack books by genres eg. mysteries, history, art, poetry, fiction, science, hobbies, children’s, cookbooks, fantasy, romance, pets, plants, humour, recreation, travel, sci fi, bios, memoirs, languages, religion, sports, business, cars, entertainment, etc.
Books to keep can include those from special people, commemorative books, and ones that helped shape you as a person as well as ones you enjoyed and hope to reread. Keepers include books of such sentimental value that they are named in your will or could be given as gifts later to those you love.
Books to donate are those that you value but are not crucial to your survival. They are in good condition and can help someone else. Please note no library discards are accepted in any category.
Books to recycle are torn, musty, have underlining or highlighting, have missing or loose pages. Recycle books that have coffee/tea stains, food stains, are water damaged or smell of smoke or mothballs.
Book donations for Children’s Hospital Book Market can be dropped of at any Winnipeg Fire Hall or any Dufrense Furniture Store.
Before you box up your donations please make sure the following are NOT in those boxes. These are books Children’s Hospital cannot use but that you might want to donate to another charity:
Almanacs older than three years
American Heritage
Childcraft
Coles Notes, Barrons, Cliffs Notes
Computer books older than three years
Consumer Reports older than one year
Encyclopedias
Financial advice and real estate advice older than five years
Funk & Wagnall Wildlife
Gardening older than 12 years
Geography and History school texts
Illustrated Natural History of Canada
Illustrated Library of the World & its People
Income Tax Material
Jacques Cousteau Series
Law Books
Life Cycle Library
Life Science Library
Life World Library
Modern Business Sets
National Geographics
Readers Digest (condensed or leather bound)
School Yearbooks
Shorthand or Typing books
Magazines such as McLeans, Time, Chatelaine, Canadian Living, People, Vogue, Oprah, National Enquirer, Men’s Health, Prevention, Taste of Home
Women’s Weekly
