__________________________________________________________________www.pearlsofafrica.org

October 21, 2003 For Immediate Release

National “Make A Difference Day” Connects NEPA and Africa
Pearls of Africa to collect books for disabled children in Uganda.

SCRANTON – Pearls of Africa’s Executive Director Laurie Moy will be at Borders Books and Music at the Viewmont Mall from 9:00am to 6:00pm on Saturday, October 25 to celebrate national Make A Difference Day. To bring the national day of service to the region, Pearls of Africa is inviting the public to “make a difference” by donating books available for purchase at the Borders store, to young children with disabilities and their families at the Children’s Resource Library in Kampala, Uganda. The library was officially launched in November 2001 by Pearls of Africa’s (POA) sister organization, People With Disabilities-Uganda (PWD). To date Pearls of Africa has collected and shipped more than 400 books to the Ugandan library.

Pearls of Africa and Borders will make available a collection of books for patrons of the Dickson City store to purchase and donate. The materials selected include both fiction and nonfiction books for children, dealing with disability in some way. Borders is also generously offering a 20% discount on all books donated to the library.

Participants from across the area are expected to make donations throughout the day. Students from the Temple Hesed Shabbat School in Scranton have promised to "Make a Difference." Children from kindergarten to third grade have been collecting donations throughout the year and will use the money to purchase books for the children’s library. The children, their parents and teachers will arrive at Borders at 12:30pm on Saturday to chose and purchase their donations.

"The library is a safe and welcoming place where children and their families can find books which show that they are not alone and that their disability does not mean inability," said Moy. "Our goal is to give children with disabilities and their families the means to build confidence and self esteem, and with that, the skills to achieve self-sufficiency and gain acceptance and integration into their communities."

Pearls of Africa, Inc. (www.pearlsofafrica.org) is an American 501(c)3 nonprofit and is based in Scranton, PA. POA is a member of NetAid, a group of non-profit organizations who benefit from the involvement of online volunteers from around the world. NetAid’s Online Volunteering program is powered by United Nations Volunteers. Many of the books that have been selected were researched and identified by POA’s online volunteers.

Make A Difference Day is a national day of helping others and is celebrated annually on the fourth Saturday of every October and is supported by the Points of Light Foundation and Paul Newman of Newman’s Own. Millions across the country participate- last year approximately 3 million people took part. This is the second year that Pearls of Africa has celebrated the day.

"Pearls of Africa strives to give opportunity and hope to those who otherwise might not have it and to Make a Difference in the lives of those that need it most."

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For more information, please contact:

Laurie Moy, Executive Director
Pearls of Africa www.pearlsofafrica.org
1740 Wyoming Avenue, Scranton, Pennsylvania - 18509
(570) 815-1319
Lmoy@pearlsofafrica.org