The spunky 17-year-old went to libraries, schools and individuals asking
for books that he could give to schools around Nongwaeng village in Si Sa Ket
province in Northeastern Thailand. He amassed the books, stored them in
his house, arranged for their shipment to Thailand and then circulated them
during his summer break.

    “The book drive isn’t some whimsical thing that I decided to start and leave
to others to finish,” says Titley, who lives about an hour’s drive from
New York City in Nassau County, New York. “I’m involved in everything”
from collection to distribution. He personally thanked every major donor.

Titley decided to launch the book drive last year after visiting elementary
schools around Nongwaeng village, where his stepmother, Nok, was born
and raised. He noticed that the students’ books were old and in poor condition.

    “Some of the schools didn’t even have books. Most of the books, if there were any, were ripped and missing pages,” recalls Titley, who first visited Thailand four years ago.

    He knew the schools had little money and few residents could afford books. Nongwaeng’s inhabitants are mostly rice farmers. Few have electricity, telephone connections or indoor plumbing.

    On the flight back to the US, Titley formulated a plan for his book drive. He worked before and after classes, calling libraries and schools, asking them for donations of children’s books and basic English texts. When the books started rolling in, he contacted freight firms about overseas shipping.

    But cargo companies weren’t interested in his campaign. So, he asked his dad for help and his father, also named Andrew, contacted friends in the transport business. Two of them – Richard Bolt, president of BDP International, and Jimmy Hogan, president of Metro Express Trucking Inc – provided storage, supplies and shipping to Thailand. The books were sent by container ship to Bangkok, then transported by truck to Ubon Ratchathani.

    Titley, who speaks basic Thai, returned to Thailand on July 1 and contacted the Si Sa Ket Education Centre about the texts distribution. They gave him a list of schools in the district. He visited about three schools daily, making a point to talk with students and teachers about the importance of learning the English language. Titley ultimately visited 64 schools, giving almost 1,000 books to each.

    “It was a great feeling to reach out to these children – an amazing experience that I’d never trade for anything in the world,” he says. Some kids, he adds, had never seen a foreigner or heard the English language spoken before.

    Titley returned to the US on August 24 to begin his senior year at Oceanside High School, where he’s the student body’s president. He plans to continue his book drive while also applying to universities and running a business selling stamps, fossils and Thai orchids.

    He welcomes donations of schoolbooks, dictionaries, atlases and other reading materials in English. He will arrange delivery, crediting all donors. Cash contributions are also accepted to defray expenses and shipping costs.

    “I’m proud of what I’ve achieved so far,” Titley says, “and hope the book drive will remain a success in coming years.”

    For more information about the Thai Book Drive, e-mail Titley at

    info@thaibookdrive.com or log on to http://www.thaibookdrive.com.

    ANGEL RODRIGUEZ

    Special to The Nation