Last night, I was honored to be interviewed by Mochimag to promote the book vote on their blog. Jennifer Kung summarized our conversation in a clear way that speaks so fluently to their target audience. Check out this blog and their e-magazine to see what the Asian American teenage girls care about!
‘Books for Asia’ Online Campaign: ‘Choose a Book. Change a Life.’
By Jennifer Kung
As young adults and students, a lot of you have the heart to give to those in need, but not necessarily the financial means. That’s why we’re eager to let you guys know about this simple, immediate and powerful way you can help bring books to children in Asia, just by watching a quick video and making an online vote.
The Asia Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on philanthropic work in Asian countries, is currently holding an campaign through their program “Books for Asia” until March 29, 2010. You just have to go on their website and choose your favorite book out of five popular children’s classics titles: “The Little Engine That Could,” “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” “Corduroy,” “Who’s Spot?” and “Make Way for Ducklings.” For every vote, a generous donor of the Asia Foundation will contribute $1 – up to $10,000, and the winning book title will be delivered to the entire first-year English class at Khishig-Undur School in Mongolia. You can watch their video of how your vote will benefit Mongolia students after the jump.
The best part of this campaign is that it allows teens and young adults to contribute in a way other than money. By voting online, and sharing their website link and video on Facebook and Twitter, you can help bring awareness to the cause—which is the fundamental goal of philanthropy—as knowledge is power.
In an interview with Mochi, Alice Wu, the Associate Director for Resource Development at the Asia Foundation, pointed out how we all reach a certain point in our lives where we can take what we have learned and start to give back. Alice came to this realization after getting her MBA at NYU Stern and working in finance, where the value of her work was mostly measured by money. In order to use her skills to contribute to society, she joined the Asia Foundation, which allowed her to give back to the Asian community by doing what she’s good at—raising money and using her knowledge of Asian and American culture to bring awareness on an international scale.
Most importantly, Alice explained how in the non-profit world, there are many different types of “money”—for young people, their form of “money” can be spending the time and energy to learn and care about certain issues. By going on nonprofit websites, participating in charitable events and simply thinking and caring about others, young adults can educate themselves to think on a philanthropic level, which will plant a future generation of leaders who can act upon these values of giving back.
So if you’re at all interested in learning more about how you can contribute to Asian countries, go to their website at http://www.asiafoundation.org/ to learn more. Besides “Books for Asia,” you can check out their other numerous programs such as “Women’s Empowerment Program,” and spend some time watching their more informative videos here.
Click here to become a fan of the Asia Foundation on Facebook or follow them on Twitter @Asia_Foundation. There’s only less than a week to vote and raise money for these children in Mongolia, so share the link and help make a difference.
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