Welcome to our blog!
Welcome to the Rock For Reading blog. You’ll be hearing from various board members and friends of the organization here; we’ll be talking not only about upcoming events and projects but also what we’re reading, feeling and thinking about.
Virtually everyone I talk to about R4R immediately gets it and asks the same question: “How can I help?” I thought I’d get the ball rolling here by sketching out an answer.
1. Volunteer. Odds are that your community has myriad literacy programs; sign up to read to people. It’s a powerful way to connect and to share the magic of books with folks, adults and kids alike, who are learning to read.
2. Donate books. Those piled-up paperbacks, yellowing novels and hardbound classics gathering dust on your shelves? They’re pure gold for programs like ours. Pack ‘em up, drop ‘em off and think about the adventures and insights they’ll bring to new readers.
3. Donate money. Sure, times are tough. But if you can spare a few dollars, you’ll find that donating to literacy is a huge investment in your community’s future.
4. Raise awareness. Are you the person in your circle who sends around e-mails full of worthy causes and inspiring stories? Send a message to your list about Rock for Reading and other literacy organizations. Suggested subject line: “If You Can Read This, You Can Help.” Are you a publicist, marketer, advertising whiz, copywriter, rabble rouser or consciousness raiser? Lend your people-reaching skills to the cause. Word of mouth is still the surest way to way to change the world.
Have you found a creative way to contribute to literacy in your community? We want to know about it. E-mail us at info@rockforreading.org.
More soon; I’ve got some reading to catch up on.
Love,
Alice
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Getting students caught up in reading is everyones’ business. It is an absolute necessity. Reading ability in early elementary school is the strongest predictor of future academic success. The average reading level of our nations prison population is late 2nd grade. By far, the biggest reading problem in low income communities and those with high levels of English Language Learners is the absence of books in the home. Reading books to children at home exposes them to 17% more “rare words” than the common language of a college student. The literacy level required for today’s entry level employment is a higher level than college freshman courses.
Thanks to Rock for Reading, our school was able to give every single one of our 588 students a brand new hardcover book for their very own home library! It was totally awesome to see the students faces light up! As an educator, whenever we can get students excited about reading, we experience nirvana. And that is exactly what it was last Friday as Rock for Reading Vice President, Paul Natkin joined us in distributing the new books to classrooms just before students were off a week for spring break.
My name is Victor Iturralde and I am the principal of the Chicago Academy Elementary School on Chicago’s Northwest side. Rock for Reading, I am forever indebted to you! Thanks!!!!