Elks Lodge
San Francisco

THE LARGEST tonnage in the history of the "Books for the Barrios" project has been achieved. Since January 2003, 290 tons of books and educational supplies have been donated, packed and shipped in 19 twenty-foot containers by 5,000 Bay Area children on school field trips. As a result, the volunteer organization can now boast of a total of six million books sent to deprived public schools in the Philippines.

Forty-four "Model of Excellence" schools throughout the Philippines are thriving. Schools range from 400 to 3,000 enrolled pupils. The newest schools are on Basilan Island, Agusan del Sur and Mindoro. A pre-school is being established in Medina, Misamis Oriental in honor of the memory of former vice president and ambassador Emmanuel Pelaez.

In order to sustain operations, a fundraiser and auction will be held at the Elks Lodge in San Francisco on September 27. Tickets are 50 dollars each. All proceeds go to the children of the barrios. For more information, contact +9 25 6877701 or joinus@booksforthebarrios.com.