If I win a bajillion pesos from the lottery, one of the things I promised to do with some of the money is to establish a nice library with a spacious, oasis-like decor for readers to lounge in while reading.
Libraries are close to my heart because I love to read. I used to read more back in the day, before social media, YouTube and Netflix. At present, I still try to read, though not as often as I did.
How did I develop my love for reading? It started with my mom reading us children’s books every night, and my dad buying us more children’s books like the Arabian Nights to read on our own. Then those children’s books gave way to Nancy Drew, Sweet Dreams, Dragonlance, fantasy series novels like Game of Thrones, and so on.
It’s best to develop the love of reading while young – it will stay with them their whole life.
What is CANVAS and How Can We Support It?
There is a local nonprofit organization called The Center for Art, New Ventures & Sustainable Development (CANVAS) that works with artists to promote children’s literacy, promote national identity, and deepen public appreciation for Philippine art, culture, and the environment.
They work with Filipino artists and writers to publish original books for children that they then give away to kids in poor and disadvantaged communities throughout the country.
For their books, they ask an artist to produce an artwork. This artwork becomes the basis of a story-writing contest where the contestants are asked to create a story around the work. After the winning story is picked, the artist is then asked to create more artwork for the story, and the art and the story are combined to make the book. How cool is that?
Here are the artists they have collaborated with: National Artist BenCab, Romeo Forbes, Elmer Borlongan, Rodel Tapaya, Farley del Rosario, Sergio Bumatay III, Jose John Santos III, Roel Obemio, Plet Bolipata, Ivee Olivares-Mellor, Liza Flores, Anthony Palomo, Joy Mallari, Don Salubayba, Liv Romualdez Vinluan, Daniel dela Cruz, Manny Garibay and Dex Fernandez
Here are some of the books with the paintings they were inspired from:
The books are hardbound, the pages are printed in full-color on thick, coated paper. Most of the books are bilingual – in Filipino and in English.
The hardbound books are priced at P1,000 per book. The hardbound books are limited copies so if you want one of these wonderful books, order yours asap! And if you’re a fan of the artist, it’s a nice way to have a copy of their work without shelling out big money.
But wait, there’s more! For every purchase of the hardbound book, a soft cover one will be donated to a child in one of their chosen communities. So your P1,000 purchase is actually buying 2 books!
If you want a soft cover book, you may inquire through their website: www.lookingforjuan.com
The story books are geared towards children aged 9-12 years old, but it’s really up to the parents’ discretion.
When CANVAS donates the books, they ask the child to write their name on the book so that the child feels ownership of the book. They told us one story where the only thing a child grabbed during a sudden evacuation was her precious book. They didn’t have time to pack anything else, so she took the item most valuable to her – her book.
70% OFF BOOK SALE
If you want to get some of these hardbound books, CANVAS will be selling the hardbound books at 70% OFF at the Vargas Museum in UP Diliman from September 14 – October 15, 2019, Tuesdays to Saturdays, 9am to 5pm.
Those lovely books will now only be P300 each (from original price of P1,000).
HOW TO SUPPORT CANVAS
- You may donate money through their website www.canvas.ph.
- You can purchase their books at Fully Booked or through their websites.
- You can patronize their merchandise such as notebooks, bags, art cards, and shirts. The items are available at www.lookingforjuan.com.
- You can help distribute their books. Just send them a letter with details on your intended beneficiary. They require documentation of the distribution activity.
They would also like to invite companies to partner with them not just for corporate social responsibility activities but also for creating premium corporate gifts. They can customize premium gift items for corporations, especially paper products such as but not limited to art cards, creative planners, art journals, notepads, coasters, scarves, tote bags, calendars, magnets, stickers, gift wrappers, limited edition art prints, and mini sculptures by incorporating the artwork images of some of the best contemporary Filipino artists.
When companies order gifts from them, they are also helping with their advocacy of promoting art and literacy to children in the Philippines. They usually do a collaborative book giving and storytelling activities with the companies in their chosen public schools and communities anywhere in the country.
1 Million Books for 1 Million Children
CANVAS aims to distribute one million CANVAS books to 1 million children. They partner with individuals and organizations who work directly in the field and with communities all over the country. They make it possible to get the books to children in all corners of the Philippines. Communities visited by horrific calamities, both natural (Typhoon Yolanda) and caused by man (armed conflict in Zamboanga) are some of the beneficiaries of this initiative.
For more information, you may log on to www.canvas.ph and www.lookingforjuan.com or email [email protected]. Get updates from @canvas.ph on Facebook, @lookingforjuan on Instagram, and @canvasph on Twitter.
