Sault author donates all book proceeds to two 'special' organizations

To help those in need in the community, Dr. Frank Sarlo has decided to transfer all rights to his book, A Special Place, to both St. Vincent Place and Pauline's Place. 

That means both local organizations will collect all sale proceeds from the book.

SooToday wrote a feature story about Sarlo and his new book last year.

“We’re very grateful to Dr. Sarlo for supporting our organizations through sales of his book,” said Nat Cicchelli, executive director of St. Vincent Place, in a news release issued today. “The proceeds will help support the work we do in our food bank, soup kitchen, and residence to help the increasing number of people in our community who are struggling with the cost of living.”

“Dr. Sarlo’s commitment to helping the homeless and those struggling with addictions is admirable,” added Anne Penney, executive director of Pauline’s Place. “Proceeds from the sales of his book will benefit our youth programs and support the purchase of food, hygiene products, and bedding for our residents. These are all necessities that nobody should go without, so we are very thankful for Dr. Sarlo’s support.”

To date, almost 900 copies of A Special Place have been sold, with net proceeds totalling $8,000. Books can be purchased at several local businesses, including Stone’s Office Supply, Savoy’s Jewellers, First Impression, 45 Social, the Art Gallery of Algoma, and the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre. Work is currently underway to make an e-book version available, so watch for news of that in the coming weeks.

For more information, see the full release below. 

To best help those in need, Dr. Frank Sarlo has transferred all rights to his book, A Special Place, to St. Vincent Place and Pauline’s Place, allowing the organizations to fully collect all proceeds from sales of the remarkable book. While Dr. Sarlo will continue local marketing and sales efforts for the book, Sault-based Tagona Press and its e-commerce partner Kapptive Studios have also joined this unique partnership to take the book to national markets.

“We’re very grateful to Dr. Sarlo for supporting our organizations through sales of his book,” said Nat Cicchelli, Executive Director of St. Vincent Place. “The proceeds will help support the work we do in our food bank, soup kitchen, and residence to help the increasing number of people in our community who are struggling with the cost of living.”

“Dr. Sarlo’s commitment to helping the homeless and those struggling with addictions is admirable,” added Anne Penney, Executive Director of Pauline’s Place. “Proceeds from the sales of his book will benefit our youth programs and support the purchase of food, hygiene products, and bedding for our residents. These are all necessities that nobody should go without, so we are very thankful for Dr. Sarlo’s support.”

For Dr. Sarlo, the decision to transfer the copyright to the organizations only made sense, particularly given what the book is about.

“A Special Place reminds us that we have always met the challenges of the past with a ‘made in Sault Ste. Marie solution’ and we will work to do the same with the challenges we face today. St. Vincent’s Place and Pauline’s Place are part of that solution,” he said.

To date, almost 900 copies of A Special Place have been sold, with net proceeds totalling $8,000. Books can be purchased at several local businesses, including Stone’s Office Supply, Savoy’s Jewellers, First Impression, 45 Social, the Art Gallery of Algoma, and the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre. Work is currently underway to make an e-book version available, so watch for news of that in the coming weeks.

“A Special Place is not about comparing Sault Ste. Marie and area to other places but to reflect on its spirit and soul and that of our people, which make it a special place,” said Dr. Sarlo. “The people of Sault Ste. Marie and area are friendly, fun loving, hospitable, generous and caring, respectful, creative, hardworking, strong and resilient. We have great pride of place and pride in our people, who have had success at home and around the world. It is our generous and caring character combined with our independence, strength and resilience that call us to rally and meet the challenges that face us. We should shout about our blessings from the rooftops and the mountains of Algoma District. Sault Ste. Marie is a special place where you belong!”