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Welcome to our autumn newsletter
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 I love this time of year for the opportunities the cooler weather brings to wrap up and read!
I'm halfway through Dear Thief by Samantha Harvey, written in the form of a letter from a woman to her estranged friend. It's an interesting book about love and hate, betrayal and forgiveness. It's a serious book, but I'm enjoying it and look forward to reading The Wilderness, Harvey's first book, which is meant to be even better.
And on the subject of writing, our Epic! Short Story Competition is in the final stages of judging by our Author Ambassadors after the 390 entries were reduced to a long list. We were thrilled to receive entries from every state and territory with many English teachers and school librarians embracing the competition as part of the school curriculum. Winners will be announced in a few weeks.
The Footpath Library has employed a part time Administration Assistant one day per week and we are very pleased to welcome Sarah McDonald to our operations team.
This week StreetSmart has launched a crowdfunding project for The Footpath Library to raise funds for office rent, since we will shortly be losing our donated space at Asthma Foundation NSW as they are moving. You can read more about the campaign in this newsletter and we would be grateful if you would share the link with all your contacts and make a donation.
Thank you for your ongoing support and happy reading!
Sarah Garnett, Founder and Managing Director
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Don’t let The Footpath Library become homeless
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 Our current ‘home’ is being re-let in June and for the past few months we have been searching high and low for an organisation that could offer us some office space, but nothing has been secured. In order to continue our operations, The Footpath Library needs to raise funds to pay rent and office expenses for 3-4 months until we find another in-kind donor.
Our campaign target is $4,000 that will enable us to find a new home in the Sydney CBD, and these funds are needed by the end of June. Every dollar raised will help us continue to operate. If we reach our target, StreetSmart will donate a further $1,000 so please help us by donating or spreading the word.
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David Whish-Wilson shares his satirical taste in books
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While I’m a crime writer by trade, most of my favourite books are what might be called satirical epics. Like all good fiction, satire entertains as it foregrounds some of the more complicated aspects of human behaviour and the societies we create.
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Why reading is a universal right
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Meredith Jaffe has generously been donating her time to coordinate our Ambassador Program for nearly three years. She says that it’s very important for us as a library to have writers as our Ambassadors as they are uniquely placed to understand the power of books to transform our lives.
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Promising academic after being homeless for 10 years
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After experiencing homelessness for 10 years, Graham discovered The Footpath Library and rediscovered her love of reading. She shares her story about how The Footpath Library opened a new world of opportunities through the gifts of books.
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Making a Dashing difference
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Dashing Print has been assisting The Footpath Library for the last five years, providing free printing of all The Footpath Library marketing materials. Russell Kavnat took some time out from his busy role as both Managing Director and Sales Director to share his views on how providing books to the homeless community has the power to inspire and motivate people.
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Community views on gender and sexuality is driver for young people to become homeless
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Last month a light was shone on the number of young people experiencing homelessness through Youth Homelessness Matters Day. Each night in Australia, approximately 26,000 12-25 year olds don’t have a safe and secure place to sleep. A disproportionate number of these are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI).
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EPIC! Proves to be an EPIC success
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Way back at the end of 2014 when The Footpath Library Founder Sarah Garnett and I sat down to discuss the next EPIC! writing competition, the only thing we knew for sure that kids everywhere love stories. So providing Australian school children the opportunity to write a short story and win prizes had to be a winner, surely?
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A big welcome to The Footpath Library team
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The Footpath Library has employed Sarah McDonald as a part time Administration Assistant one day per week. We are also thrilled to welcome the following new volunteers to the team.
Zena O'Connor - Sydney Branch Manager
Lauren Macnaughton - Waterloo Volunteers Manager
Nancy Israel - Sydney Client Manager
Annabel Garrard - Homeless Connect Coordinator (Sydney)
And in Perth: Belinda Hayden- Perth Client Manager
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Earlier this month we celebrated National Volunteer Week. At The Footpath Library we have more than 100 volunteers who work tirelessly to provide our services to those in need. We wanted to acknowledge the amazing work they do. Without them we simply wouldn’t exist so thank you to the packers, sorters, co-ordinators, managers and everyone who generously gives their time to enable the work of The Footpath Library.
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Insightful quote from Edith Sitwell
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Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home. It is no season in which to wander the world as if one were the wind blowing aimlessly along the streets without a place to rest, without food, and without time meaning anything to one, just as time means nothing to the wind.
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Find us, follow us, share us, help us...
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You can help us by donating books, knitwear, time or money
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Have a comment or an idea for a story you would like to share?
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Thank you to our amazing supporters
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