Book lovers will have the chance to choose from thousands of books at gold coin prices as Geelong West Rotary holds its Book Fair at Geelong West Town Hall this Friday-Sunday.
The twice-yearly book fair is Geelong West Rotary’s major fundraising event, typically attracting upwards of 3,000 keen book buyers over the course of the weekend.
Thousands of books will be on offer, from romances to thrillers and children’s books to cookbooks.
Children’s and paperback books will be on sale for $1 for, with hardcovers available for $2.
Geelong West Rotary president Jim Marendaz said it was important to note that every dollar spent at the book fair went toward one of the community groups or charities the club supported.
“Rotary is a proud not-for-profit organisation with members paying a subscription to join, covering administration costs,” Mr Marendaz said.
“That means every dollar spent is donated to community charities and the like. Nothing is held back for administration costs whatsoever.”
A major beneficiary of Geelong West Rotary’s fundraising is Barwon Health Foundation’s Project North, which aims to raise $2.5 million for a dental service at Barwon Health North, Norlane.
“We’re in the process of raising $100,000 to help build that facility, and we’ve just handed over a cheque for $25,000,” Mr Marendaz said.
“A significant amount of the money we raise from this and future book fairs will go to support this dental facility, which will provide dental care for people in the Northern suburbs who specifically need it.
“We’ll also use this money to support local youth programs, and we do some international projects, providing water for villages in Cambodia and the like.”
Mr Marendaz said the club’s book fairs couldn’t happen without the support of local communities and businesses.
“Geelong Regional Library Network are a great support, we get a lot of books donated from them,” he said.
“Zippy Removals do all the transportation of the books from the warehouse to the Town Hall, donating their time, trucks and effort.
“And Western Heights College helped us set up, while Sacred Heart College will help us pack up on Sunday afternoon. They’re all donating their time and effort, which is great.”
