Among the many organizations in Pottstown that need your help is the YWCA Tri-County Area. This agency does wonderful things to help women and children in the Pottstown area who are in need.

• Their Adult Literacy Program includes GED tutoring and diploma assistance as well as organizng a network of trained volunteers to help women learn how to read and improve their prospects.


• Their Parents Network program support group allows parents to meet for one or two hours a week with a facilitator. The children's group that meets in conjunction gives kids some time to work on crafts and enjoy snacks while parents seek help.


• Their Women EXCEL group holds monthly breakfast meetings give professional women and businesses the opportunity to network, provide support and become aware of local commerce and trade. The group seeks to energize, empower and inspire women to reach their full potential.

Coming up March 19 is your chance to support the YW and have some fun at one of its major fundraisers of the year, this time with a book-related theme.

The YWCA Tri-County Area's 11th Annual Basket Party will be held on Friday, March 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. at North Coventry Elementary School, 475 Kemp Road, Pottstown.

The organization is currently accepting sponsorships as well as book-themed basket donations.

From 6 to 7:15 p.m., attendees can view and bid on themed baskets, purchase dinner from the buffet, bid on silent auction items and view live auction items. The basket raffle, door prizes and auctions will be held from 7:15 to 9 p.m.

Advanced tickets are $15 each or two for $25. Advanced table reservations (for eight people) are $100. Admission at the door is $20. Admission includes 10 raffle tickets. Additional tickets are available 10 for $15.

This year’s event is "All About Books." Basket donations with that theme in mind are being accepted. Choose a favorite book/story and build your basket around it. All basket contributors will receive 10 additional raffle tickets with their paid ticket. All baskets should be wrapped in cellophane with your name or company name, basket theme, and a list of contents. Deliver your basket to the YWCA no later than Monday, March 15. Basket pickup is available, call the YWCA at 610-323-1888 to make arrangements or for more information.

Sponsorship levels are also available. The gold level ($300) includes eight admission tickets, a reserved table and a full-page program ad. The silver level ($200) includes four admission tickets and a half-page program ad. The Bronze level ($100) includes two admission tickets and a business card program ad.

All proceeds to benefit YWCA Tri-County Area, which promotes the elimination or racism and the empowerment of women.

Above is their cute and colorful flyer, designed by Epps Advertising and printed by Complete Graphics.

Perhaps your business would like to become a sponsor and help out this tremendous organization. Or maybe you have some books lying around that you no longer need that you wouldn't mind donating to this cause. Plus, when you donate, you get an additional 10 raffle tickets with paid admission. It's worth combing the bookshelf for.

For more information about YWCA Tri-County Area, visit http://www.ywcatricountyarea.org/

Reviewed: “Debt is Slavery: and 9 Other Things I Wish My Dad Had Taught Me About Money,” by Michael Mihalik, October Mist Publishing, 2007, $14.95, 128 pages.

Michael Mihalik was inspired to write this little book because of his own struggles with debt after college.
Mihalik, an aerospace engineer when not penning books, proudly mentions several times throughout “Debt is Slavery” that he has overcome his early credit card debt and is so financially savvy now he was able to take six whole weeks off in order to write his book. Six whole weeks.
This is where I think to myself that I or pretty much anyone who can put pen to paper might be able to come up with 128 pages on any topic if given a month and a half.
When it comes down to it, I don’t think Mihalik’s experience overcoming his debt is anything remarkable. He overextended himself with credit cards while in college and it took a while for him to bail himself out. Well done, Mr. Mihalik, but I also learned that “easy credit” lesson the hard way. So did a few others I know.
While sound, Mihalik’s pointers to overcome your debt are far too general, to the tune of: Don’t buy things you don’t need. Um, OK.
“I came up with 10 basic ideas and rules about money that allowed me to gain control of my finances and pay off my debt,” Mihalik states. “They literally transformed my life.”
Mihalik was 13 when his father died, and the premise of the book is that Mihalik had to come up with his own rules for money because his dad never had the chance to teach him.
“That’s not the easiest way to learn. I wish someone had just taught me the rules, but fate had other plans for me,” he writes. “If you’re drowning in debt, if it seems like you’ll never get ahead financially, or if you’re forced to work at a job you dislike to pay the bills, this book has something for you.”
Something, yes. Something in the way of very general advice.
(Specific financial advice, let it be noted, should come from a financial services professional).
The author says that when he got out of college, armed with his engineering degree and several pre-approved credit cards, he soon found himself in roughly $20,000 of debt and living beyond his means. At the time, Mihalik said he searched for a self-help book but could find none that were short and to the point. There, his idea for this book was born.
“After I eliminated my debt and gained control of my finances, I wanted to help other people do the same, so I decided to write the book I wish had been available to me,” he writes.
It took Mihalik one “hellish year” to get out of debt, he says.
The core lessons of the book are sound: Debt is bad. Try not to get into it. Possessions won’t bring you happiness, so stop buying them. Find work you enjoy, and you’ll be happier. Don’t just save, invest in “income-producing assets.” Spend less than you earn.
Are these suggestions bad advice? Not at all. Did I need to read this book to learn them? Not at all.
The one piece of advice that piqued my interest was the chapter — I mean the three whole pages — on how to save 50 percent of your salary.
“If you save 50 percent of your salary, for every month you work, you will save enough to take a month off — without changing your lifestyle,” Mihalik writes.
Hmmm. Saving half my salary. I don’t think that’s even possible.
But Mihalik anticipates this reaction, and advises trying for a 33 or 25 percent total savings — over and above the maximum 401k plan contributions you can make at work, that is.
To save this quarter of your salary, you have to make a budget, he says.
I agree — making a budget is a great idea for anyone who has any debt at all. It helps you see where your money goes.
Additionally, Mihalik advises, you should budget for savings, trips and special purchases. Yes, all good ideas, but still super-simplified and general.
My advice is to save the money you would spend on this book and add it to your savings.