One of Lin Zinser’s many amazing Front Range Objectivism projects is the “Colorado Book Project.”

A few years ago, the Ayn Rand Institute surveyed high school teachers and discovered that the major obstacle faced by them in teaching Ayn Rand’s fiction is the lack of books. The school bureaucracy makes it difficult to obtain them from the school, and they are expensive to buy out-of-pocket. So ARI started a “books” program to remedy that problem. With the help of directed donations from supporters, teachers in a given area are solicited for the program. They can order any number of free copies of Anthem and The Fountainhead from ARI, along with teacher’s manuals (also available online). ARI’s only demand in return is that the teachers agree to actually teach the novels. Some supporters of this amazing project have bought whole states; others have purchased counties or cities. However, as far as I understand, much of the country remains as-of-yet-unclaimed.

Lin Zinser is aiming to claim the whole of Colorado for Front Range Objectivism. (Actually, Denver county and some other areas have already been claimed. But FRO will happily take the rest.) So she’s asking for donations, large or small. I second that request, as I think it’s an extraordinarily worthwhile project. (Of course, for those of you outside Colorado, feel free to inquire with the Ayn Rand Institute about supporting the project in your own area!)

Below, I’ve reproduced Lin’s letters to the FROST mailing list, as they offer more details. If you have any questions, please contact her at [email protected].

March 6, 2005

As many of you are aware, The Ayn Rand Institute has a special project to place Anthem and The Fountainhead in high school English classes across America. In the past year and a half, books have been or are being placed in several counties in Colorado, including Gilpin, Douglas, Park, Arapahoe, Denver & Adams.

Wouldn’t it be excellent, outstanding, outrageous and fantastic for every Colorado high school student to read Anthem and the Fountainhead? Imagine what your life would have been like if it had been taught to you in your high school, by a teacher using a lesson plan created by the Ayn Rand Institute? Can you even imagine that?

I would like to see books placed in as many high school classes in Colorado as possible for next year’s classes. ARI estimates that it will cost approximately $9,750 to place more than 1200 books in the remaining Colorado school classrooms where teachers will use them. With significant donations ( $3000 or more), a donor can get its name placed on the bookplate placed in the front of each book which also has ARI’s name and website on it. As you know, I am dedicated to spreading Objectivism along the front range — and more. Help me put www.frontrangeobjectivism.com in all of these books alongside ARI’s.

All of the monies for this project are tax-deductible if the checks are made payable to ARI. Please make your checks payable to the Ayn Rand Institute and forward them to me. I would prefer that the checks be dated April 18, so that I have time to gather them and to send them off as one package. That is the deadline — April 18. I will remind you that April 18 is the 230th anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride and the opening round of the war for American Independence. We can make April 18, 2005, the opening round of the war for the independence of the minds of Colorado’s youth.

If you would like to help, please forward your checks payable to the Ayn Rand Institute, to me

Lin Zinser
8700 Dover Court
Arvada, CO 80005

Finally, if you have any questions, or want a written pamphlet from ARI — please let me know and I will forward it to you by US postal snail-mail.

Lin

PS — I am also interested in doing memoriams for Steve Lund and Bob Zinser for those who are interested, as this is a project both of them would have endorsed.

April 7, 2005

This post is an update to let you know the status of the Colorado Book Project.

The Goal — $ 9,750

To Date — $4,660 contributions collected by me or sent directly to ARI

Remaining — $5,090

I am very pleased so far — The total amount collected to be sent next week to ARI, or that ARI has already received, that is earmarked for the Colorado Book Project is $ 4,660 or 47% of the goal. YEA!!!!!!!!!

You will recall that the Ayn Rand Institute has a special project to place Anthem and The Fountainhead in high school English classes across America. ARI estimates that it will cost approximately $9,750 to place more than 1200 books in the remaining Colorado school classrooms where teachers will use them. With significant donations ( $3000 or more), a donor can get its name placed on the bookplate placed in the front of each book which also has ARI’s name and website on it. Help me put www.frontrangeobjectivism.com and Front Range Objectivism in all of these books alongside ARI’s website information.

Several people have asked if I would extend the deadline because of tax season. I will. The sooner we get the contributions, the faster the books get to the schools. But, we will keep the project open until we get funds to do the entire state.

Secondly, some people have indicated they would rather send the money directly to ARI. That is fine. Just be sure and put on the check and enclose a note that you want the donation used for the Colorado book project. It is my understanding that you can also donate shares of stock in place of a cash donation, which might be a better tax solution for you. Just talk to ARI about the details.

Also, some people have indicated some confusion — these donations are tax-deductible, as I understand it. If you have questions, talk to ARI.

So, send your check to ARI or to me, but in either case make it payable to ARI — and mark it for the Colorado Book Project. Every dollar helps — if you haven’t done so, please think about donating at least the cost of a book or 2 or 25. grin! Remember, imagine what your life would have been like if you had read Anthem and The Fountainhead in your high school English classes, taught to you by teachers using a lesson plan created by the Ayn Rand Institute?

And for those of you who have contributed already, thank you very much.

Lin Zinser

April 14th, 2005

Just an update to advise you that we are over 55% of the way towards the goal.

To date, we have collected $5,360 towards our goal of $9750.

We still have a ways to go. Remember there are at least 3 ways to contribute to this project.

1) Send check or money order payable to “Ayn Rand Institute” or “ARI” and forward to me — Lin Zinser, 8700 Dover Court, Arvada, CO 80005-1552. I will be sending our first batch of checks to ARI
next Wednesday, April 20.

2) Send check or money order directly to ARI marked “Colorado Book Project” or “Zinser project” and mail to ARI, 2121 Alton Parkway, Suite 250, Irvine, California, 92606-4926.

3) Contact ARI about donating stock or bonds directly to the Institute with credit being given towards the book project. Contact Duane Knight or Kathy Cross at ARI for the processing of this kind of gift. Phone number at ARI is (949) 222-6550.

Remember, the goal is to put copies of The Fountainhead and Anthem in the hands of high school students in Colorado public schools with lesson plans provided by ARI. All of the monies for this project are tax-deductible if the checks are made payable to ARI.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE GENEROUSLY PROVIDED FUNDS FOR THIS UNDERTAKING!!!!.

Lin Zinser

April 27th, 2005

THANK YOU TO ALL DONORS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE COLORADO BOOK PROJECT.

We are closing in on our goal.

I just sent off to ARI all of the checks that I have collected thus far, and the total that has been committed or contributed is $6,030. This is 61% of our goal.

If you haven’t contributed anything yet, please consider doing so. If everyone on the list who has not contributed to buying books for Colorado would make a contribution of only $25, we would be very close to covering the state of Colorado and providing the opportunity for thousands of students in Colorado to read Anthem and The Fountainhead over the next five years.

Think about this.

A $32 contribution would buy 2 copies each of Anthem and The Fountainhead — books that could change a life in the same way that your life was changed.

A $16 contribution would buy one copy each of Anthem and The Fountainhead — and give you the privilege and pride to say that you contributed to this project.

What reasons are there for donating? I can think of many. You might say I want to introduce active, eager young minds to Ayn Rand’s books — I want more of the right minds to be aware that Ayn Rand’s ideas give “statement and voice to what the best of mankind has always believed.”

Or, you might say, I also want to realize in my own life that “what one does not seize from the moment, eternity will not give back.” That hope for the future must be its own reward today. Or as Ayn Rand put it, “anyone who fights for the future, lives in it today.”

Here is your chance to put your tax deductible dollars working for ARI — IN COLORADO — where you live, work and play.

Lin Zinser

In my recitations, I usually end up presenting some idea of Ayn Rand’s at least once in the semester. I always ask my students whether they are familiar with her work, particularly with her novels. If I’m lucky, I might get one or two students. Mostly however, I get blank stares. I’d like to change that — and I think that ARI’s program is the way to do it.

Update: Front Range Objectivism did it! Here were the last two e-mails.

May 18th, 2005

WE ARE NEARING OUR GOAL ——

Thus far, $8,505.00 has been either forwarded to me for donation or sent directly to the Ayn Rand Institute for the Colorado Books Project.

THANK YOU DONORS ——

This means that we only need around $1245 to reach the goal. I would like to have all of the money collected and sent to ARI by the end of May. So, here comes the squeeze.

If you haven’t contributed any money yet, and you want to contribute money to the project, this is the time. If you want to contribute, but need to wait until June to send money, please pledge your money now so that we can wrap up this collection phase and ARI can send the letters to the schools and teachers NOW.

If you have already contributed money and can donate a bit more to get this done quickly, that would be wonderful.

Remember, this project will put copies of Anthem and The Fountainhead into the curriculum of high schools in Colorado — and the teaching plans will be those provided by ARI. Many of you have heard Yaron Brook speak about the funnel that will change the culture — this is the beginning. The first step is to get new young readers — and this nationwide project, of which the Colorado Books Project is just a part, is a great way to get young readers. The next step is to get them interested in the Objectivist Academic Center — and to using and applying Objectivism to their academic studies so that there are more scholars and academics who understand and can teach Ayn Rand’s philosophy in the schools and universities across this country — and elsewhere.

I am very excited that we are so close and really want this project to get to the next step. I would appreciate your help.

Lin Zinser

Then Steve D’Ippolito issued this challenge: “If $1000 additional can be raised by Friday, I will donate the last $245.” It had a great effect.

May 22nd, 2005

CONGRATULATIONS!!! We have succeeded in raising the necessary funds for ARI to contact teachers over the entire state of Colorado and solicit their interest in teaching Ayn Rand in the classroom — that is, teaching _Anthem_ and _The Fountainhead_ in high school classrooms, with lesson plans and other tools for teachers.

I am so pleased and excited about the prospect that I can hardly contain myself. I want to thank each and every one of you who contributed to this project. We actually raised more than the required amount — but every dollar will be spent with ARI in placing Ayn Rand’s books in Colorado classrooms.

I am still tabulating contributions, but it looks like we raised over $11,000. I want to also thank Steve D’Ippolito — whose challenge raised about $2,000.00 in 2 days. In all, 41 people contributed to raise all of the money, and to each of you who contributed, I want to add a personal thank you. All of you contribute to make Front Range Objectivism the success that it is.

I will keep you advised of the progress as I work with the Ayn Rand Institute to install the books in the classrooms. Be proud!!!

Have a wonderful day!

Lin

Thanks and congratulations to everyone who donated! I’m very excited to see the fruits of this project in the freshman I teach.