AOL's Book Maven

Yesterday Carol Fitzgerald of The Book Report Network and I jumped into a cab after her a.m. staff meeting and sped over to The Pierre for Harlequin's More Than Words luncheon. We might not be the usual "ladies who lunch," but we certainly felt as pampered as a pair of them as we entered the light-filled banquet room overlooking Central Park East.

But enough about us -- let me tell you about "More Than Words" -- it's in its third year and is a program that annually recognizes five women from across the country who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities. This year's winners include a publisher of Braille books for children, a facilitator of sports activies for special-needs children, a coordinator of country cottage weeks for cancer survivors and their families, a knitter whose group has donated 250,000 knit caps and blankets to infants, and the founder of a program that helps prison inmates raise guide-dog puppies.

Just giving these women recognition and funds to continue their work is tremendous, but the fun part is that Harlequin has matched each organization with an author who then donated her time and talent to writing a short story included in 'More Than Words: Volume 3'.

If you've read this post all the way through and are quick on the draw, I have a special treat for you: Send me an email (bookmaven2005 at aol dot com) telling me about your own volunteer initiative, large or small, and I'll send you a copy of 'More Than Words' signed by all of the honorees and all of the authors. I'll also post your email in this blog so that more people can know about your efforts!

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