It is the 30th anniversary of the charity event, and this year’s takings will take its combined contribution to the community to more than half a million dollars, book sale convener Mike Rooney says.
The milestones were good news for the community and a great accomplishment for Rotary volunteers, who put thousands of hours into the book sale each year, he said.
The book sale was the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Rotary Club of Alexandra, raising about $25,000 each year, he said.
Club president Gil Elliot said the "vast majority" of proceeds went to local causes, including regular donations to Dunstan Hospital and funding for Alexandra and Clyde school initiatives.
Other ostensibly "local" grants would impact over the years on a national or international level, such as funding for school pupils or young professionals to do international exchanges or take part in educational initiatives such as the Rotary Science Forum.
Some grants also supported international initiatives such as Rotary International’s programme to eradicate polio, or the Fred Hollows Foundation.
Rotary members enjoyed supporting such worthwhile initiatives and were always interested to see the types of books that came through the sale each year, Mr Rooney said.
This year the sale had an interesting range of special or "collectable" books, and "for some reason we also have lots of books about cricket and rugby this year". The book sale is held in the Alexandra Community Centre from 9am to 5pm daily from December 26 to 30.
• A report in yesterday’s Lakes District and Central Otago News incorrectly reported the book sale was being held in Cromwell today and tomorrow. An incorrect photo and caption were introduced in the editing process.
