RESET book sale aims to fundraise over 150k

By Gurman Sahota, May 7 2019 —

The RESET society wrapped up its major fundraiser, an annual book sale in its 17th year.

The sale ran from May 1 to May 5 with lineups of supporters wrapping around the building. The high turn-out made development manager Lisa Copeland hopeful of reaching a $150,000 fundraising target as well as attracting bibliophiles to attend multiple times.

“We have a special book section which is really popular. [When] we sell books, we bring out more stock,” said Copeland. “So for those avid book collectors, we always encourage that they come back a few times and see what’s out there.”

RESET, formerly Servants Anonymous Society, is a non-profit that provides 24/7 care and individualized case management for women and girls over the age of 16 affected by sexual exploitation and human trafficking. The society performs in three phases — implementing safe and secure shelter to address the participant’s immediate basic needs, a life skills program and community reintegration. Since launching in 1989, the society has supported nearly 900 women.

“This event is a huge way for us to raise awareness and for us to spark some conversation about sexual exploitation and trafficking,” Copeland said of the sale. “It’s not typically spoken about in Calgary, although [Calgary Police Services] estimate that 3,000 women in Calgary alone are experiencing sexual exploitation.”

The book sale is not just a staple to provide much-needed funds but also to bring awareness to the cause and the non-profit society. Bringing attention to the cause, especially with RESET’s unique model, is critical to sustaining the society.

“One of the biggest issues is that people just don’t know that sexual exploitation is happening here in Calgary and if they don’t know about it, they’re not going to be moved to help us,” said Copeland. “The awareness piece comes first and then moving people to action, whether that’s through volunteerism, whether that’s through fundraising or whether that’s making a donation or just sharing more about us with their friends and family.”To volunteer, donate or help the cause in other ways, visit the RESET website.