Okay, who out there is trying put a kid through college, or maybe you  might be enrolled in some college classes yourself?  In any case, saving money is always important, right?  Something we all like to do, if we can.  And aside from the tuition, what is the next biggest expense while going to college?   Books!  Buying the books each semester can really add up! Our son Tony is in his second year of college, and his math book this semester was $200!  Two hundred dollars for a math book?  That’s crazy.  And to think we have eight more kids to put through college!

So I just discovered an online service where you can RENT your school books!  What a cool idea, right?   I thought so!  With campusbookrentals.com you can save anywhere from 40-90% off of the bookstore prices, you get FREE shipping when they ship it to you and when you ship it back to them,  and you can even highlight in the textbooks. They offer flexible renting periods, you can “search” for the book you are looking for right there on their website,  and best of all …. they donate a portion of their proceeds to Operation Smile.

What is Operation Smile?  Well, I’m glad you asked.  I’m going to tell you a bit about that, too.

Children who are born with a cleft lip or a cleft palate are faced with challenges many of us cannot ever imagine.  Many have difficulty eating, speaking or even smiling.  If a child is born with this condition here in the United States, chances are good that it will be fixed in infancy and will never be an issue for the child.  But in many parts of the world, this surgery is not available, or even if it is most parents cannot afford it.

An infant with a severe cleft palate will not be able to eat properly and might die, while those who are able to survive their deformity are subjected to ridicule and teasing during their childhood, and in some cases are kept from socializing, hidden away from society, never playing an active role in their community.

Operation Smile is an organization whose goal is to fulfill a child’s greatest wish:  the chance to be normal.  They mobilize medical volunteers across the glove to treat children with cleft lips, cleft palates, and other facial deformities, and they also leave a legacy of trained medical professionals, surgical equipment and professional partnerships to help carry on the work after their team of medical volunteers has left.

What a wonderful organization, don’t you think? If your child was born with this deformity, wouldn’t you want this operation for her?  I know I would.  And we are no different than other parents around the world who only want the best for their child, too.

I think it’s great when a company donates  to a wonderful cause such as Operation Smile. So if you know anyone who might want to save money next semester by renting their books instead of buying them, share Campus Book Rentals with them.  You never know how many children you will be helping when you do!

* Although all opinions written are mine, I did receive compensation to write this post.