If you like to relax with Sun, Sand, &Surf, then you probably have heard about Sabang Beach and White Beach on Mindoro island, just south of Manila.

Good scuba diving and bars and parties at Sabang, and quiet family relaxation at White Beach.. The only real industry for the island (besides fishing) is tourism.

Lured by the need to get something to read, last vacation I went to the tiny Public Library of Puerto Galera, the main port between the tourist beaches.

The 10 x 10 foot, one-room Public Library (above the fish stalls) had no books other than some castoffs from tourists (mostly in German or Dutch). The shelves were mostly empty.

The Supervisor of the library told me that he also was the sole teacher for the Hospitality Industry Vocational School ...

and asked if I would like to see their classroom. The classroom was smaller than the library, it was meant to be a stores-closet and mop room. The only things in the room besides a sink were two small stand-up bar tables.. There were no teaching aids, no computers, no projectors, no chairs, no text books, not even a chalk board.

The Supervisor told me that he tried to teach a vocational school for local people who hoped to find a job in the hospitality industry at the nearby tourist beaches.

For teaching aids, he had his students bring food and table-settings from their homes to use as props.

I would like to help him and his students and the library of Puerto Galera.

Please donate your English text books. He needs low-level texts. He wants teaching tools for conversational English and, in particular, the hospitality industry..

tourism, hotel and restaurant management.

His particular passion is teaching his students about ecology and how to take care of the island they live on, so he would love to have books on

the environment and recycling.

Please go to your bookstore and ask for "teacher copies" of the books you use.  Call the textbook publishers and ask for "examination copies" of books you "might use". (free to teachers, just ask)

Books with included CDs would be a plus.

He needs books to use for Extensive Reading materials, so I'm trying to get as many Graded Readers as I can, any level. Any topic. Any publisher. CDs a plus.

Finally, the locals need books to read for pleasure.. what can you contribute?

All this week, May 8th through 13th, you can take any books to  the BeachedBar in Gwangali beach, Pusan. They will take off 1000 won of any drink purchase.

Also any donations will be accepted to help with the costs of shipping the books, estimated at 280,000 won. We have a sponsor who will match any donation!

If you would like to know more about Mindoro Island or the book drive please contact Rocky Nelson at 010-2242-7742 [email protected] or Chris Green at 010-5715-3883 [email protected]