Sheldon Zhao

Our Story

Hi there! My name is Shel and I am a high school senior in Perth, Australia. I love reading books and I was always amazed at how much a good book can bring to a person, and how addictive reading actually is! Books are the best companion of a human mind. Cliché, huh? But it’s the truth.

Many of us are now so busy and are reluctant to go to libraries to pick up a nice piece of work, or can’t remember to order a quality book on Amazon regularly. But what if there is a free BookStation right next to you when you’re waiting for the train? Or when you’re having a nice cup of coffee in the warm afternoon sunshine?

This is basically how the idea of “MyBookStation” is formed. To make this idea work, I’m right now partnering up with my awesome friends and my parent. We all firmly believe in the value of education, of reading! And we realize that if we combine reading with the concept of community, we will be able to encourage the flow of knowledge, to share of emotions, feelings, and thoughts!

So this is what we are going to do. We are building and promoting small BookStations -- with around 20 quality books – installed in train stations and in communities and in shopping malls (you name it!). Feel free to pick one that you like when you stop by and fill your idling time with interesting stories and inspiring thoughts. But when you find a book that is your particular favourite, and decide to bring it home, please remember to return it when you finish it or bring another book back to our BookStation to enrich our collection.

People around us love this idea! When I told them about MyBookStation, many are excited about this idea and are very willing to donate some books to our collection! So when our funding goal is reached, we can build at least 3 Bookstations in Perth, Australia! (The exact spot is not yet decided. We leave the choice for the $150 donors to our project! So want a fantastic little BookStation near your house? Please generously donate!)

Once our BookStations are settled, you will be able to see them facebook! We will keep you up to date!

The Impact

Everything starts small, but with your help, we are very confident to soon build a network of such bookstations in Australia since we strongly believe in the sense of community, and sharing and caring, cherished by Australian society. As our project grows bigger, some social institutions will recognize our work and make more contribution to “MyBookStation”. In that way, we’ll be able to promote literacy and reading in larger scale, even worldwide, and make more and more people benefit and acquire enjoyment from reading!

What We Need

Your donation will go towards purchasing the start-up books, fiction, biography, mystery, etc etc. We will also need funds to buy the materials to build our BookStations, such as lumber, hinge, paint, waterproofing, etc. We promise to build eco-friendly bookcases (we are also ardent advocates of environmental protection!) Our friends in school and my parent(he built the kennel for my two puppies!) will help build the BookStations.

Other Ways You Can Help

Please share this campaign with others! Money counts, but interest and participation in our project are equally important. So spread the words, tell your friends about our work, like us on facebook. We will appreciate every effort you can make!

Also, we welcome donation of quality books. The more books people donate, the more interesting our bookcases are going to become. (“Yesterday’s collection was fantastic! I even don’t know which one to choose.” “I was going to buy Gone Girl yesterday; but guess what, I found it in the BookStation when I'm waiting for the train!”)

Partners welcome! If you want a bookstation in your area, you can always join our project and build one in your community! It is our goal to see more and more and more people getting involved in this project. Many people will benefit from your kind sponsorship! Thank you so much!