Willi Baer book signing aiding Jamaican hurricane relief
Local resident Willi Baer is one of Pahrump’s best-known community activists, famed for her work in the nonprofit sector as well as her ever-ready smile and willingness to lend a hand wherever she can. She’s also an author with four books to her name, the most recent of which, “Jamaican Adventures”, is a retelling of her experience of relocating as a child from Canada to Jamaica, where anger and disappointment eventually grew to a deep attachment that lasts to this day.
With the publishing of her latest novel now complete, Baer was excited to hold a book signing event last weekend at the Wine Down. Greeted by a steady flow of supporters and admirers eager to get their hands on her new book, Baer said she was delighted with the turnout.
“It was a huge success,” she raved to the Pahrump Valley Times afterward. “I sold out and have to order more! The Wine Down venue was perfect, Joelle and Jennifer were amazing as always.”
But with a devastating storm wreaking havoc across the island she once called home just days before the book signing, the event was about much more than just generating interest in her own writing. Baer also used the opportunity to highlight the needs of those affected by Hurricane Melissa, which slammed into the Caribbean late last month as a Category 5 hurricane, leaving behind destruction and dozens of deaths. Baer is donating 10% of proceeds from the book signing to the Jamaica Hurricane Relief Fund.
“To those of you who were able to attend my book signing yesterday, I thank you so very much,” Baer wrote in a Facebook post following the event. “To those of you who ordered, since we sold out, you will have to wait a couple of weeks as I have to order more. The list is growing! Because of the generosity, 10% of sales, plus individual donations, will go to Jamaican Hurricane Relief - approximately $300… Again, thank you my friends and thank you Pahrump.”
Baer is also actively encouraging donations to the World Central Kitchen or American Red Cross for hurricane relief as well. “Specify exactly what your donation is for, otherwise it goes into general funds,” she emphasized.
In addition to “Jamaican Adventures”, Baer also wrote one other fictional novel, “The Corksuckers”. “This book is about four friends who met when they were young and became lifelong friends, traveling to the tropics and enjoying their wine,” Baer detailed.
Her first two books, however, are less fun and fanciful and more serious, focusing on providing valuable insights into the world of running a nonprofit. The first, titled “The Care and Feeding of a Nonprofit Board, is a lesson for board members about their fiduciary responsibilities, she explained, which the second, “The Care and Feeding of a Nonprofit Executive Director, teaches staff leaders the difference between their duties and those of their board, as well as how they can work together to achieve their goals.
Baer’s books are available on multiple online retailers, including AuthorHouse, Walmart, Barnes and Noble and more. Jamaican Adventures is available for $16.99 plus shipping and handling and The Corksuckers is $28.99 plus shipping and handling. The Care and Feeding of a Nonprofit Board is $14.99 and The Care and Feeding of a Nonprofit Executive Director is $12.95, plus shipping and handling.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
