Can you imagine a life without books?
The following is a guest post written by Tom Pfeifer, Global Head of Customer Sales & Experience, Thomson Reuters.
What would your life be like without books?
According to Lane Ayres, director of the Jack Mason Law & Democracy Initiative at Books For Africa, most of us here can’t imagine going even a day without a book. But in many countries in Africa, books are precious commodities.
Thomson Reuters has been in the business of publishing books, and particularly legal volumes, for more than 100 years, so we are keenly aware of the importance of books and the role they play in building literacy, championing democracy and supporting a legal system that provides all with access to justice.
This is why our ongoing partnership with Books For Africa is so vitally important to our mission to help the legal system perform better, every day, worldwide. The mission of Books For Africa – to end the book famine in Africa – not only closely aligns with Thomson Reuters values but also with our customers’ values, and personally, with my values.
As a member of the board at Books For Africa’s Jack Mason Law & Democracy Initiative, I know firsthand the powerful message the good work of Books For Africa can bring to inspire and empower employees.
So, this fall, to show support for and connectedness with Books For Africa in a very tangible way, our inside sales organization hosted a 5K walk event here on the Eagan campus. This walk was inspired by a walk that took place in the West African country of The Gambia earlier this year.
My team members showed fantastic engagement by donating their own books – in some cases their most treasured books – to the cause, along with their financial support and their time and energy during the walk. Some of the enthusiasm and personal meaning for the walk was captured here in a video we are pleased to share.
I couldn’t be more proud of their efforts, and of the collective impact all of us here at Thomson Reuters have on the continent of Africa through our partnership with Books For Africa. Job well done.
