<div>If books have ever saved you, keep reading!
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>My name is Samm, and books saved my life.  Now I’m asking for help to save the dream they gave me.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I was adopted at a very young age, and although I grew up loved, I carried a deep fear of abandonment and not being enough.  As a child, friends came and went, and I learned early what it felt like to be left behind.  When I felt alone, I escaped into books.  Books never left me.  They gave me safety with worlds to disappear into.  At just the age of 12, a dream to one day owning my own bookstore manifested.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>My life, however, did not follow a straight or easy path.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>As a teenager, I struggled deeply with my mental health and self worth. I fell into the wrong crowds, made unsafe choices, and ran away from home. I became a young mother while living in youth shelters, married too young, and moved far from everything I knew.  Over time, I found myself trapped in an emotionally abusive relationship, afraid to speak up, afraid to say no, and terrified of disappointing anyone.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>When I finally tried to leave to protect myself and my son, I didn’t understand how the system worked.  I was overwhelmed, naive, and mentally unwell.  I lost custody, then visitation, and eventually all contact with my son.  A loss that broke me in ways I don’t have words for.  I spiraled into a deep depression, addiction, and suicidal thoughts.  There was a time when I truly did not believe I would survive.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>What brought me back was help, hard work, and eventually meeting the man I now call my husband, Caleb. For the first time in my life, someone stayed.  With his support, I entered treatment, was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, and began the long process of healing.  I rebuilt myself piece by piece.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Together, we built a quiet, loving life and welcomed our daughter, Hope. She is the reason I choose to live every day.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Even after years of therapy and stability, life tested us again. Toxic family dynamics, postpartum depression, and severe mental health triggers forced us to make impossible decisions, including selling our home to protect my safety and our family.  I worked incredibly hard not to relapse.  I didn’t turn back to drugs or alcohol.  Instead, I turned back to books.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Once again, books became my refuge and my calling.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>When my husband lost his job and we struggled financially, he encouraged me to finally chase the dream I had carried since childhood. I found a small business program, worked nonstop to learn everything I could, and in early 2025, Book Dragons Den was born.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>For the first time in my life, I didn’t just survive, I built something.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Book Dragons Den isn’t just a bookstore.  It’s a safe space.  A place for people who feel different, lost, anxious, or unseen.  A place for readers, creatives, and anyone who needs somewhere they belong.  I bind books by hand, create custom editions, and dream of hosting inclusive events, author nights, and community gatherings.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>But I did this fast, with limited resources, and while learning everything from scratch, I have made many mistakes.  I’ve exhausted every loan, grant, and funding option available to me.  I have no investors, no cosigner, and no safety net left.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>That’s why I’m here.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I’m asking for $50,000 to secure two years of rent so I can keep the doors open without the constant fear of losing everything again.  The remaining funds will help cover basic operating costs: utilities, supplies, inventory, events, and growth so this dream can survive and thrive.  My bookstore is the only indie bookstore in Oshawa and Oshawa desperately needs to have Book Dragons Den.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I’ve spent my entire life fighting to stay alive, to heal, and to build something meaningful out of pain.  This bookstore is more than a business.  It’s proof that survival can turn into purpose and hopefully will become a legacy.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>If you’re unable to donate, sharing this means just as much.
</div>
<div>If you’ve ever found comfort in a book, felt saved by a story, or needed a place to belong, my safe haven is also yours.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you for reading.
</div>
<div>Thank you for believing.
</div>
<div>Thank you for helping me keep this dream alive.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>— Samm
</div>

Anonymous

Fatma Doucet

Emily Johansen

Heather Gordon

Naomi Wilkins

Stephenie Robinson

Meriah Scott

Save Our Stories and Keep the Pages Turning

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

currencyCode

Money Box Donation List Prompt Experiment Audience

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

NPO upsell education category

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

NPO recommendations prod

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

categoryGroup

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

NPO upsell animals category

NPO upsell disaster relief category

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

NPO upsell essential needs category

NPO upsell medical category

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

NPO upsell cancer category

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Save Our Stories and Keep the Pages Turning

Still $19,450 to go. Help us build momentum.