The miracle from Alaska continues and will soon spread. Trish White, the head of Bishop Gibbon’s English Department,  sent me this photo above of the second wave of books from Alys Curhane’s Bright Lights Book Project in Palmer, Alaska.

(Above photo. English Department Head Trish White at Bishop Gibbons sits on top of a small mountain of saved books from Alaska. More are on the way.)

Alys is the angel of the discarded book; she saves thousands of discarded books and gets them to the people who need them. She is re-stocking the Bishop Gibbons library with contemporary books the students will want to read, which Tish requested for the school library. She is also for a book fair she wants to stage at the school for the families and students.

She also told me tonight she is looking to expand her fantastic work and is seeking volunteers to do what she is doing in different parts of the country. If she says she wants to do it, it will happen.

If that isn’t enough, she also sends books to the Mansion residents, especially the romance mysteries they love to read and books about animals with big, bright photos.

I talked with Alys tonight; she is just back from two days at the Alaska State Fair, where she handed books out to children. She says twice as many books are on the way to the Bishop Gibbons school library than Trish has received –  children’s books, art books for Sue Silverstein, and books for the school book fair.

I call her the book angel.

I want to pass on some news that might be important to Army Of Good members.

Alys wants to help people to do this work all over the country, not just in Alaska. She is looking for volunteers interested in working with her to set up the Bright Lights Books Project in different parts of the country.

What a beautiful and timely idea. She never charges a nick for the books she saves; they are all given away for free, no strings.

She says countless millions of books are sitting idle in garbage dumps, garages, and basements. People are happy to give these books to a group like hers and give them new lives.

She is stunned by how many books in good condition are being discarded or sent to garbage dumps in Alaska and all over America. Her life’s work is now about rescuing these books, cleaning them up if necessary (most are in prime condition, she says), and getting out to schools and people of all ages who need books and can’t afford them.

She says she has no trouble finding books to hand out, and as she also says, if there is no problem finding books in scarcely-populated Alaska, imagine how many books can be found in the cities,s suburbs, and towns in America.

Alys is the real deal; working with her would be a privilege, a great learning experience, and a way to do good instantly and simply.

She knows how to get things done, and nothing and no one yet has found a way to stop her. In 2021, Bright Lights salvaged and distributed 4.5 tons of books from one Recycling Station alone.

The books she is sending the Bishop Gibbons Library at no charge are worth an estimated $5,000.

 

 

If you are interested in learning more about participating in this idea, please feel free to contact Alys at [email protected] or [email protected].

You can also call her at 907-745-4747.

She will answer questions and teach volunteers how it’s done. What a great way to do good in your community. Like me, Alys believes good will save our country and our world.

She’s not looking for books to be sent to her but for people who want to do what she is doing in other parts of the country – rescuing discarded books and finding homes for them.

Alys is a remarkable person with a great heart. I think of her as my sister from another mother.

She wishes to rescue these books and get them into the hand of people who need to read but can’t always find a way or the funds to do it. This is an incredibly worthy cause, and I get e-mails from people who ask me how they can do good in these sometimes discouraging times.

I asked her how she started Street Lights Book Project, and she said it was from reading about the Army Of Good on my blog. That was a sweet thing to hear. Alys is changing her world and wants to change ours as well. She recycled

If you want in on this beautiful idea, send her an e-mail. She’s bursting with enthusiasm and the will to do good.

She has been a godsend for us and anyone I work with who needs and wants books.