Textbook Buyback Site MyBookBuyer.com Donates Over $650 for Red Cross Disaster Relief in Haiti

Milpitas, CA (Vocus) January 20, 2009 -- Textbook buyback (http://www.mybookbuyer.com) site MyBookBuyer.com responded to the deadly earthquake in Haiti, donating to the Red Cross to help support relief efforts in the island nation.

Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, and was totally unprepared for the magnitude 7 quake that struck January 12. The local buildings were not retrofitted to survive seismic activity, and thousands of structures, including the presidential palace, collapsed. Haitian authorities put the death toll at 70,000 so far, with a total of over 3 million injured, displaced or otherwise affected. The Haitian people are in desperate need of humanitarian aid, including food, water and medical attention.

Though a textbook buyback (http://www.mybookbuyer.com/textbook-buyback.htm) company might seem like an unlikely source of aid, MyBookBuyer.com has raised money for worthy causes before. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month last October, the company raised over $1,500 to fight breast cancer. During the holidays, they ran another fundraising effort, this time raising $750 for Toys for Tots.

The company has a unique model, donating on behalf of their Facebook fans, donating additional funds for each person who shows their support during a fundraiser by becoming a fan. The idea is to enable people to make a difference, even if they cannot afford to make a financial contribution themselves.

The students who sell textbooks (http://www.mybookbuyer.com/sell-textbooks.htm) to MyBookBuyer.com are usually on a tight budget. With tuition and textbook costs on the rise, their desire to help usually far exceeds their ability to donate. However, the students nearly all have Facebook accounts, allowing them to make a difference by doing something as simple as clicking a button that says “Become a Fan.”

It’s a model that seems to work well, according to company founder Michael Der. “We’ve found Students have the desire, but not always the means to help. That’s where we come in,” he says.

MyBookBuyer.com recognizes that students have more on their mind than selling textbooks (http://www.mybookbuyer.com/selling-textbooks.htm). Together they have made a real impact.

The latest campaign has focused on raising funds to support the Red Cross’ relief efforts in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas of Haiti. MyBookBuyer.com donated a dollar for every ten fans on their Facebook fan page, a total of $659 dollars. Their contribution helps the Red Cross to provide basic necessities, such as food and water, as well as supplies to create temporary shelters, first aid and hygiene supplies and even field hospitals.

The donation raises the total that MyBookBuyer has donated to charity over the past year to almost $3,000. But Michael Der says the company can’t take all the credit.

“It’s the students that inspire us. Their passion to make a difference is infectious,” he says.

The students who use MyBookBuyer to sell textbooks back (http://www.mybookbuyer.com/sell-back-textbooks.htm) at the end of the semester have motivated the company to move far beyond dealing in used textbooks. They’ve shown their overwhelming support for important causes. They have prompted real, substantial change, and in their own way have made the world a little bit better.

As long as disasters continue to strike, as long as there are people who need help, the world will need organizations like the Red Cross, and the Red Cross will need the support of those like MyBookBuyer.com and the army of students who stand with them.

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