Beryl Mankins: From Grief to Unstoppable Passion

How would you react if your only son survived a grueling tour as a soldier in Iraq, only to return to the US and be killed instantly in a car accident? It’s hard to know how one would handle the depression and despair that comes with such a loss. For some people, life is over. For others, the despair lasts a long time until at last they find a reason to go on.

There’s not a day that Beryl Mankins isn’t reminded of the deep chasm of darkness she lived in for 8 years. She was filled with anger and grief. She picked fights with everybody. She yelled, cried, and rebelled. Sometimes she revisits that lonely place.

Beryl still misses her son, Jonathon. But her love for him has brought her new purpose and a vision for a better world. This vision is so big, it almost overwhelms her with the momentum it is gathering.

In 2006 Beryl began collecting and distributing books in the memory of her son. Beryl knew that books have the power to heal, inspire and educate. She named her project “Jonathan’s Legacy: Connections of Hope.”

Beryl  wanted to reach people who struggle as she had with their own feelings of despair.

She decided to explore the prison system. It didn’t take but a visit or two before Beryl realized that self-help and personal development books were needed. Sometimes the prison library is limited to a cart.

“How can a person turn himself around?”: she asked. “If you can’t put new thoughts into your mind, all you have are the old ones! And those are the ones that got you into prison in the first place! For people who feel like losers, books can bring hope.”

Beryl  refers to the prison initiative as  “Readings for Re-Entry.”

Soon, Beryl began speaking in the prisons. The reception she experienced from the inmates was overwhelming. Beryl knew that this was her calling.

Then Beryl felt inspired by another idea. Her 8 year old grandson, Cameron, wanted to have a legacy, too. “Cameron, is polite, outgoing, and intelligent,’ says Beryl. “He reads with a voracious appetite. He’s an ambitious learner.”

Under his grandmother’s tutelage, Cameron became a program director of “The Children’s Book Legacy.” Beryl  quoted one of her favorite teachers, Dr. Suess, to Cameron: “The more that you read, the more things you will know.  The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

“Every child should own a book,” said Beryl. “Even if they color in it, or get it dirty, it’s THEIR book!”

Together, Beryl and Cameron began collecting books. Cameron collected books for children, youth, and teens, while Beryl collected books for the incarcerated.

The tireless duo were unstoppable. They collected books. And more books. And more books. They shared their project with people in churches and service groups. They made appearances in schools, at the Industries for the Blind, and recreation centers. Beryl was unstoppable. Then the radio called. Beryl took her message to the airwaves.

Soon, Beryl’s porch was flooded with books. She needed space.

“You can use the spare room in our rec center,” the recreation center director offered. The project quickly outgrew the rec center. Beryl still needed space.

As the foundation grows, so does its needs. Book donations are flooding in. Agencies requests for books are flooding in. There is no space …yet Beryl is unstoppable.

Beryl wanted her project to become a non-profit, charitable organization. She wanted book donations to become tax deductions. After much research, she succeeded in obtaining a 501 C3 tax exempt number and recruited a board.

If only she had a decent space to store the books. And a car that is dependable. Beryl’s 95 Buick LeSabre  has windows that don’t work. Sometimes the engine starts and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes the engine refuses to quit running after the ignition is turned off. Yet, inspite of frustrations around the lack of space and an undependable car, Beryl is unstoppable.

Sometimes the process seems unclear. Both Beryl and her board need training and mentoring.

When the project becomes overwhelming, Beryl thinks of Jonathon. Beryl knows she is honoring Jonathon now. She looks up to the sky and asks, “How am I doing, Jonathon?

And he answers, “You’re doing great, Mom!”

With that, Beryl refuels her unstoppable spirit.

To contribute to  Jonathan’s Legacy: Connections of Hope, or to contact Beryl for a speaking engagement,  call 336-777-1068 or contact her at  JLReadbooks@yahoo.com