Awesome job, ladies! Thirteen-year-old K.B. (above), of Cold Spring Harbor, New York, raised $1,000 for Hands through a school dance. Twelve-year-old Madeline (below), of Linconville, Maine, organized a book drive that brought in over 1,000 books for Caribbean kids!

Like K.B., 13, from Cold Spring Harbor, New York, who raised $1,000 for Caribbean schoolkids at a dance at her school, Cold Spring Harbor Junior High, K.B., a hot racing sailor in the Optimist sailboat class, came up with the fundraising idea on her own, and she made a presentation about Hands to the student council committee to get things rolling. Meanwhile, Madeline, 12, of Linconville, Maine, who is also at home in a sailboat, likewise took the initiative to spread the word about Hands and convince her classmates to lend a hand to Caribbean students. Madeline organized a book drive (working with the school librarian, Mrs. Weaver) at Lincolnville Central School that brought in an amazing 1,000 books! Both Madeline and K.B., who have visited the Caribbean not long ago and met the kids being helped by their contributions, are ready to make a return trip to Dominica and Union Island!

From Tennessee, sending warm wishes — and lots of books — to Caribbean schoolkids!
The students of fifth-grade teacher Sandra Little, at the Roosevelt

Awesomely awesome! Fifth-graders at the Roosevelt Elementary School in Kingsport, Tennessee, sort and pack the 200 pounds of books they've collected for Caribbean school kids

Elementary School in Kingsport, Tennessee, are unstoppable! When Little suggested supporting Caribbean kids through the Caribbean Literacy and School Support (CLASS) program, the kids mobilized — big time! Every year, books are set in piles outside the school classroom waiting to be discarded. Little, an avid sailor, had read about Hands Across the Sea in Cruising World magazine and decided that she and her students could sort and pack all of the year's gently-used books — 200 pounds of them — and send them to a new home in the Caribbean.


Want to lend a hand? You can make a real difference!
It's easy and rewarding to lend a hand to these island schools. If you'd like to donate books, please go to the Hands Book Drop page. And take a look at the new Hands Wish Lists page, which details the specific items that schools and clinics need. Also, don't forget that you can make a tax-deductible cash contribution to Hands by going to our Donate page, using the secure PayPal service. Hands Across the Sea, Inc., is an IRS-registered, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and we will furnish a receipt to you for your tax return. Your donation can be any amount, either via credit card on the Donate page or by sending a check to the Hands Across the Sea, Inc. mailing address. Remember that one hundred percent of your gift goes to the children, teachers, and schools of the Caribbean Literacy and School Support (CLASS) program. —T.L. and Harriet