BOOKS FOR LOVE @ $10 – All Sorted!

Taikoo Place's book-lovers assembled for the 11th year of our annual charity and community outreach event. Volunteers from across the Taikoo Place community – from office tenants to enthusiastic tots – got involved and showcased what our diverse neighbourhood can do for a good cause.

 

Our annual charity book sale, BOOKS FOR LOVE @ $10, turned the page on its eleventh year this year. Held across two long weekends, from April 20 to 23, and 27 to 30 at ArtisTree and Berkshire House in Taikoo Place, BOOKS FOR LOVE @ $10 was truly a testimony to the power of words. This beloved and popular annual charity book sale nurtures a love for books and reading, while spreading the positive spirit of volunteerism throughout our Taikoo Place community.

United by the theme “Spread Your Love for Books – Every Book You Donate Counts”, thousands of book lovers came to Taikoo Place to browse through the 250,000 pre-loved books that the public donated to the sale, collected all across the city . At the heart of the event’s success were the 6,000 volunteers, most of them Taikoo Place tenants, who collected, sorted and sold every book for charity – a massive undertaking. “Having the chance to work with other tenants and contribute to one of Swire Properties' most highly-anticipated community-outreach programmes was truly exciting and eye-opening,” said a volunteer from Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC).

As it moves into its second decade, BOOKS FOR LOVE @ $10, co-organised by Swire Properties Community Ambassadors programme,The Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong (BCGA) and the Agency for Volunteer Service (AVS), has created a sense of place and community. It’s not surprising that each year more and more Taikoo Place tenants have stepped up to get involved: HKT provided wifi/broadband service at the event, Meta stepped in with ad sponsorship, Suntory contributed drinks, and RPC and TransAmerica Life sent staff to help with book sorting and various other book sale tasks.

The event has become a not-to-be-missed occasion for the whole family to get together and share the thrill of books old and new, encouraging children to discover the magic of words. This year, there was an expansion of the popular Interactive Storytelling Showtime, featuring a great line-up of storytelling partners – including the 501^st Hong Kong Garrison, a group of Star Wars fans who invited some of our youngest participants to dress up as characters from the famous sci-fi series, and be rewarded with Star Wars-themed gifts.

BOOKS FOR LOVE @ $10 united thousands of members of our Taikoo Place community in a rewarding experience of volunteerism, while spreading core values of sustainability and a circular economy.

Behind the excitement of the event itself, the buying, selling and storytelling, is another story about caring, community and coming together. BOOKS FOR LOVE @ $10 united thousands of members of our Taikoo Place community in a rewarding experience of volunteerism, while spreading core values of sustainability and a circular economy.

Parents were happy to see their kids, who joined them in sorting books, become more conscious of their books' conditions, because they now realise books can have a second life when being donated.

“The power and impact of having so many volunteers involved in the BOOKS FOR LOVE @ $10 event was impressive,” said an RPC volunteer. “All our volunteers had a great time. Parents were happy to see their kids, who joined them in sorting books, become more conscious of their books' conditions, because they now realise books can have a second life when being donated. Our kids were also thrilled to be exposed to many genres of books that are new to them.”

A record-breaking of HK$1,147,950 was raised this year! All proceeds will be donated to the 2 charity partners: The Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong (BCGA) and the Agency for Volunteer Service (AVS).

First time volunteer Melissa Lau, Meta’s Business Product Marketing Lead for Greater China, was impressed. “We were helping at the cashier counters, and formed a great team with operational efficiency by having a clear delegation of roles and responsibilities,” she said. The experience, she said, was a special one. “We brought our daily work culture to an activity for social good – it brings an enjoyment that goes beyond what we do in our day-to-day work life.”

Anny , from RPC, had been attending BOOKS FOR LOVE @ $10 with her kids, Anson and Avery for a few years now. When she found out that RPC staff were being invited to be on the other side of the table to help with sorting books and helping out at the sale, it was a no-brainer for the family to sign up, she said. The family attended volunteer sessions together, discovering in the process the impressive amount of detail, work, and volunteer time that was “hidden” behind the scenes of the successful sale.

“Our people often express how much they like the Taikoo Place community because it offers us a one-of-a-kind experience, fun and inspirational,” said a RPC volunteer.

Partnership is a powerful thing. And here at Taikoo Place, the 2023 success of BOOKS FOR LOVE @ $10 showed the huge and positive energy that our efforts can send out into the wider community – and back into our own.