The Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at Penn State Brandywine raised more than $1,300 and donated more than 1,000 books after its book sale March 6-8 on campus. The money raised will provide educational programming on campus centered on social justice issues and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
The group started with around 10,000 books and sold more than 4,400 to the more than 250 people that attended the sale over spring break.
The GSA donated more than 1,000 books to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation for breast cancer. Others were given to the Delaware County Prison for its Books Through Bars program, which provides new reading material to inmates each month, and 600 were recycled. The remaining 4,000 books will be available at the group's next sale, tentatively planned for next fall and spring semesters.
"I can't believe what we accomplished here," GSA President Rob Ewing cheered enthusiastically. "We raised $1,300 for future programming, helped raise money to find a cure for breast cancer, and supplied a local prison with material to give to inmates." Speaking to those who purchased books and others who helped with the sale, he said, "You all should feel very proud of yourselves for this. Think of what we can do next time!"
The GSA will help members of the campus take part in the National Day of Silence on April 16, a day when students around the country take a vow of silence for an entire day to bring attention to anti-LBGT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. GSA will provide T-shirts for participants so others on campus are aware of the vow, and don't assume they are just being ignored. The group will also provide an awareness table on campus.