For several months the 3rd floor hallway of the Humanities building had been doted upon by an unknown visitor, a box of books, simply marked "Donation Books for Haiti."

Responsible for this book drive is Dr. Karen Curls, Division Chair of the Social Science division and Criminal Justice instructor at MCC - Penn Valley.

"You know, it's just really kind of the 'Social Science Haiti Book Drive,'" said Curls.

The Social Science Haiti Book Drive, or as it is commonly known by passing students, "the Haiti Book Drive," has been active all semester and will "probably be brought to closure right before Spring Break."

The idea for the book drive came about after a fellow colleague of Curls' returned from a Fulbright sponsored trip. (The Fulbright Act is a grant that funds exchange programs of teachers and students between the United States and other countries in South Africa.)

"Our original plan was to send chairs to the South African schools, but our connection fell through," said Curls. The next version of the plan, however, involved Haiti.

The Social Science division along with Dr. Donald S. Doucette, former Vice Chancellor of Education and Technology, who has long been involved with charity to Haiti, decided to support Haiti.

The often overlooked country of Haiti, Curls added, "seemed like a perfect country to support" since there aren't as many known charities for the country.

Curls decided that, because of the turnout received from its first run of the book drive, this may actually become an annual event. And, in the future, she might even go a little farther and have a fundraising event called "A Night in Haiti," where participants could enjoy a night life scene with food, fruity drinks, dancing, and plenty of fun.

If anyone is interested in participating in the Social Science Haiti Book Drive, all you need is a book, or to contact Curls for more information.

Copyright 2008 Metropolitan Community College