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Records Fall, Donations Rise at GLA’s Really Big Book Sale

Submitted by: Kim Banks on Sep 15, 2009 at 2:45 pm Tagged with: the bounce agency, The Greenville Literacy Association Source: The Greenville Literacy Association

When The Greenville Literacy Association’s 8th annual Really Good, Really Big, Really Cheap Book Sale opened its doors on Saturday, August 22nd, expectations were tempered somewhat by the current economic climate. All such reservations quickly vanished as a record 17,000 book lovers turned out to purchase more than 104,000 books to raise $150,000. The sale is the Greenville Literacy Association’s largest annual fundraising event, and features books in a variety of categories from fiction, non-fiction, children’s and young adults to cookbooks and self-help books. Prices range from $1 to $10, with the majority falling in the $1 to $5 range.

“The eighth annual sale experienced unprecedented success in terms of the number of books donated, the number of people in attendance and the amount of money raised,” says GLA Executive Director Jane Thomas. “It was an incredibly rewarding day for us. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we‘d like to thank everyone who donated books, the dedicated volunteers who organized them, and the shoppers who came on sale day.”

This year marks another hugely successful sale for GLA. And it could not have been accomplished without the many volunteers, shoppers, media support, book donations, and a compelling marketing campaign that featured some unique and inspiring creative executions.

“Greenville Literacy truly appreciates the bounce agency's partnership,” said Ms. Thomas. “Every year, they seem to find a way to “one-up” their advertising creativity from the year before utilizing television, print, outdoor, radio, posters and guerilla advertising. This year was no exception. Working in coordination with the media who gave GLA advertising and editorial support - and with the printers and companies who contributed to informing the community about the sale - they all helped make the book sale the biggest and best one yet.”

About the Greenville Literacy Association:
The Greenville Literacy Association has served the community for 44 years. The organization has six staffed Learning Centers located throughout Greenville County. From July 2008 through June 2009:

➢ Greenville Literacy served 2,530 adult literacy participants.
➢ 425 trained volunteers led one-on-one or small group sessions.
➢ Volunteers contributed 31,087 instructional hours. The estimated value to the community at $19 an hour is $590,653.

The Mission of the Greenville Literacy Association is to empower adults to participate more effectively in the community by providing quality instruction in reading, writing, math, and speaking English. It is the largest community-based adult literacy program in South Carolina and one of the most highly developed in the nation. Greenville Literacy recruits and trains community volunteers to provide instruction for adults who request assistance. The organization has expanded its services to six fully equipped and staffed learning centers across Greenville County and assists church and neighborhood literacy programs near these centers.