快猫视频

The late Paul Garrett was a California real estate developer, investor, cattle rancher and organic farmer. In his early 20s Paul created a Philanthropic Foundation that he named BetterWorld Foundation. Paul discovered pretty quickly that if he wanted to bring his dream to fruition, he needed to get to work and earn enough money to help fund the foundation, and so he did. 听

Many years later, he met his future wife, Diane, a long-time Commercial Insurance Broker in Nebraska and later in California. 听Diane became Paul鈥檚 personal insurance broker and a few years later they married. 听Paul asked Diane, her daughter Cari and his daughter Andrea, to help start their new family foundation, they called: BetterWorld Together Foundation which later became 鈥淏etterWorld Trust.鈥�

鈥淥ne of the things that brought us together was that we both wanted to create a unique yet impactful way to help alleviate poverty and suffering in the world,鈥� Diane recalled. 鈥淲e wanted to help the most impoverished while also helping to uplift those most capable, so that they in turn could go out into the world and help others living in poverty.鈥� 听A cyclical approach to combatting suffering.听

They began working close to home initially, focusing on several of the communities around their hometown and on a number of programs including schools, libraries, youth and literacy programs, food pantries, and other Nonprofits. Over time they expanded their efforts and began working in Africa, India and Mexico. 听

On one particular visit to Malawi, Paul and Diane made a discovery that would shape their philanthropic efforts for years to come.听
听

鈥淲e realized that we wanted to help educate children primarily,鈥� Diane said. 鈥淲e were working directly within many small villages in these developing countries, in order to find out what the needs of those villages were. In one village the community leaders took us into their new small school library. They said, 鈥榣ook鈥�this is our beautiful library鈥� and welcomed us proudly in. As we walked inside, we saw bookshelves and tables equipped with chairs, but not one book to be found in the entire library. The shelves were completely, totally empty, and it devastated us both. The villagers were so proud of their library, but it was completely bare. We came back to America and asked ourselves, 鈥榟ow can we send books directly to the children in Africa?鈥� 听I decided I would simply contact schools in America and ask them 鈥榠f you have any books you're not using, can we please have them?鈥� Our struggle was then to try and figure out a way to ship them to schools and Libraries in Africa.鈥� 听Then we found out how difficult it was to ship books to Africa. 听The logistics and the processes felt overwhelming. But we were determined. 听

鈥淔ortunately, we discovered an organization already operating within this same realm called Books for Africa (快猫视频). They were doing the exact thing we wanted to do,鈥� Diane said, 鈥渁nd we were so excited. They were receiving books from companies, outdated curriculum and textbooks from colleges and school districts and other organizations that didn't want or need them, and they were shipping them directly to Africa. 听They had figured out how to navigate that system. 听We partnered with them (in 2008) and I think we sent 50,000 books the first time, we partnered directly with an organization we were working with in Malawi, who then distributed them to schools and filled up their library shelves. 听It just warmed our hearts and made us feel so good. We thought: 鈥極kay, let's do more of that!鈥� And so we did, and every year since we've sent shipments of books to remote villages in Africa through 快猫视频, directly to schools and libraries in Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi and Sierra Leone. We鈥檝e sent close to one million books overall.鈥�

When the Garretts started working with 快猫视频, they personally visited the headquarters in St. Paul, including their warehouse. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always been my ambition to empty their warehouse. I鈥檓 not in a position to do that just yet, but I鈥檓 working on it,鈥� Diane said. 听鈥淚 think 快猫视频 is a great organization that provides a great service, reaching directly into impoverished countries, and specifically those who don鈥檛 have the means or opportunity to acquire books themselves.鈥� 听

Diane recalled, on one particular visit to a village in Africa, seeing a little girl sitting on the side of the road, on a dilapidated chair reading a book. 鈥淪he was just sitting there, in that desolate place, holding her little book so preciously in her hands, it really touched me, and when I approached her she smiled at me wanting to show me her book. She was so happy to have it, and proud to show it to me. 听I鈥檒l never forget that.听

鈥淪eeing the joy on the faces of the children when they are able to have and then read the books we helped send was so fulfilling,鈥� Diane expressed. 鈥淚 remember as a child, reading books and looking at the pictures, it was so exciting for me.鈥� I just keep imagining these children in their homes, in their villages having their minds opened to so many possibilities in the world. 听All made possible by reading the books we helped send.鈥�

Diane and Paul believe that education is the key to eliminating poverty. In discussions about how they could help reduce or eliminate the problems of global warming, they soon realized it is too big of a problem for them to solve in their lifetime. 听鈥淭he solution needs to be navigated carefully, involving larger organizations, businesses and government entities, those with a much broader reach than we currently have.鈥� The Garretts concluded that their contribution to solving these types of problems would be better served 鈥溾��by helping to educate children, we hope to instill the joy of learning, especially in younger children, who in turn we hope will grow up and figure out better ways to help solve these bigger issues and other problems caused by or related to global warming and poverty.鈥�

After years of donating money to help the students of Africa, Diane and BetterWorld Trust鈥檚 plan is to fully honor Paul鈥檚 dream and legacy by continuing his/their good work 鈥渘ot only because it is the right thing to do, but because it touches my heart and gives me immense joy too. 听It makes me believe that there is hope.鈥�

Diane repeated a quote she remembered from the late Philosopher Krishnamurti who said 鈥淭he little four-letter word 鈥檋ope鈥� holds our entire future within it.鈥�

鈥淚 love this quote, it reminds me to believe in the goodness of people and to have hope for our future,鈥� Diane said. 鈥淚 think if you are born into a small remote village somewhere or in an impoverished area, it might feel really hard to find hope. I believe that books give the people who read them some inspiration and the ability to have hope for their future.鈥澨�