Source:
Detroit Free Press<snip>
"I got to that point and there was still a hole in my soul," she said.
So in 2002, the Florida resident decided to cash in her retirement savings to get behind something she was passionate about -- books.
Frances bought a Volkswagen bus, filled it with books, affectionately named it Bess the Book Bus (inspired by her grandmother) and traveled around her Tampa community, handing out storybook after storybook to underprivileged children.
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"I want kids to feel that sense of being transported somewhere away from their current environment, because a lot of our kids' day-to-day is not that bright and shiny," said Frances, 40.
Bess the Book Bus visited Detroit this week as part of the 2011 Success is in Sight national tour. On the road trip, Frances plans to hand out more than 100,000 books to 20,000 children in 44 states. Tour partners Transitions Optical and VSP Vision Care also will provide free eye exams and glasses along the way.
http://www.freep.com/article/20110609/NEWS05/106090426/Florida-woman-s-touring-bus-brings-free-books-eyeglasses-Detroit-kids