Dan Foster

Join Team Read and WVU Coach Neal Brown: Read-A-Palooza 2019 on June 6

by EventsFundraisingNews

Join Read Aloud and WVU Football Coach Neal Brown in building excitement for books and reading at our annual fundraiser, Read-A-Palooza, at the University of Charleston Riggleman Rotunda on June 6!

Though we may be a little later than usual this year, Read-A-Palooza is sure to be bigger and better than ever with a new venue courtesy of our partnership with the University of Charleston Education Department, and our 2019 theme: “Join Team Read,” exploring how we can create a culture that values reading in the same way we do sports.

The event will open at 4:30 p.m., and Coach Brown will give his remarks at 5:15 p.m. As always, we’ll have appetizers, beer and wine, and a silent auction to augment the lively conversation and good company that’s a staple of Read-A-Palooza. As our largest fundraiser of the year, proceeds from the event help fund Read Aloud programs, which strive to engage all members of our communities in motivating children to want to read.

Tickets are $40 prior to June 6 or $50 at the door, but for those looking for a little more facetime with Coach Brown, we’re offering a special pre-event reception with him for sponsors of $1,000 or more. Sponsorships also come with tickets and public recognition, including logo displays at the event, depending on the level. To find out more about how to purchase tickets and sponsorships, visit the Donate tab, click here, or call the state Read Aloud office at 304-345-5212.

We hope you will join us as we celebrate Read Aloud’s progress and look forward to new reading adventures!

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What’s special about Cabell County’s Flashlight Reading Night?

by News

With support from WSAZ Children’s Charities, Read Aloud West Virginia of Cabell County is teaming up with the Cabell County Reading Council to host a Flashlight Reading Night to encourage parents and children to read together this summer! The event will be on Tuesday, April 30 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Guyandotte Elementary, and is a great example of the way our Read Aloud chapters across the state are innovating and creating programs that work for the people they’re serving.

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Fall in Love with Reading this Valentine’s Day

by Book Reviews and RecommendationsNews

Check out these book recommendations for Valentine’s Day!

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli. Mr. Hatch “keeps to himself.” That’s what everybody says. Then one day he gets a surprise package, and a note: “Somebody loves you.” Good for kindergarten through third grade.


Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. Who has left an anonymous note for Nate’s dog Sludge: “I love you, Sludge, more than fudge”? Kindergarten and first graders can puzzle out the answer alongside Detective Nate the Great. 

Looking at Lincoln by Maira Kalman. OK, not a Valentine’s book, but one for the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, who, among other accomplishments, signed West Virginia into existence. The book is a short, readable biography, but also a thoughtful look at the places Lincoln’s image appears in today’s world. Enjoyable throughout elementary school.

Saint Valentine by Robert Sabuda. Famous pop-up picture book artist Robert Sabuda, who appeared at the 2015 West Virginia Book Festival, created paper mosaics to evoke third-century Rome in his story of the original St. Valentine, a healer who sent a secret message to a little girl. Good non-fiction for upper elementary.

Read Aloud’s Annual Fund Drive — Why we ask

by DonorsNewsPartners

Letters will arrive in mailboxes any day now — it’s time for Read Aloud West Virginia’s 2018-2019 Annual Fund drive.

Why does a mostly volunteer organization need to raise money?  Read Aloud’s work, even its very existence, depends on funds provided by our wonderful donors. These contributions enable our staff to support local chapters and grow our program.

While volunteer chapters are the face of Read Aloud in their respective communities, we know from experience that they count on an office and staff to support them. We’ve actually tried it the other way with all volunteers. Read Aloud was founded in 1987 but from 2000-2007, we existed without staff, and the number of chapters fell from 53 to four in that time period.

Read Aloud was re-established with a central office in 2007-2008. Quality and involvement have grown steadily since. Today, we serve more than 200 schools in 31 counties.

That progress would not be possible without our generous donors.

Read Aloud routinely evaluates efforts to make sure we put time, effort and money where they do the most good to help West Virginia children grow into successful readers and students. Over time, our activities have been winnowed down to four broad categories: weekly classroom Read Aloud volunteers, distribution of books, classroom enrichment and public education.

During the last school year, Read Aloud volunteers reached 33,000 students across the state. Imagine 33,000 students, week after week, enjoying new books or old favorites, each student seeing a “live commercial” for reading together, just for fun.

As comments from teachers in this newsletter show, students of all ages look forward to this time and “light up” when their Read Aloud reader enters the room.

That is what our donors make possible.

That is why the letters are on their way, to encourage you to consider making a donation to help us continue the work of getting books in the hands and on the minds of West Virginia’s children.

Thank you for reading and for being a Read Aloud supporter.

We have Neighborhood Investment Tax Credits available while they last.

Checks can be made payable to:

Read Aloud West Virginia
P.O. Box 1784
Charleston, WV 25326

Questions? Call 304-345-5212 or email readaloud@frontier.com

Thank you

 

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Library Commission show to feature Read Aloud during week of Oct. 1, 2018

by NewsPartnersResourcesVideos

The West Virginia Library Commission will feature Read Aloud West Virginia’s work on a program that will air during the first week of October on Channel 17 for Suddenlink customers in Kanawha and Putnam counties.

“Libraries Today” airs regularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.; on Wednesdays and Fridays at 4:30 a.m.; and Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

The video will also be available on the Library Commission’s YouTube Channel.

Image featuring the WV Neighborhood Investment Program (NIP) tax credits and people those credits have helped.

Read Aloud can offer WV NIP tax credits! Get ‘em while they last

by DonorsNewsSupporters

Read Aloud West Virginia can once again offer West Virginia Neighborhood Investment Program (NIP) tax credits to qualifying donors. The benefit reduces a donor’s state personal income tax bill or corporate net income tax bill by as much as half of the gift amount.

Donations of at least $500 qualify for the NIP credit and help us pursue our mission to motivate children across the state to want to read. With your help, we are changing the literacy climate in West Virginia.

Donations made by Dec. 31, 2018 can qualify for credits to apply to taxes due in 2019, but credits are limited and offered for as long as they are available.

The tax credit may be applied in one year, or during the next five years. Individuals are limited to receiving no more than $100,000 in NIP credits in a single year.

Proposed changes in federal tax policy could reduce the effect of the state credit on federal taxes related to donations made after Aug. 27, 2018, but state rules are unchanged.

Donors may give online, or make checks payable to Read Aloud West Virginia and send them to Read Aloud West Virginia, P.O. Box 1784, Charleston WV 25326.

For more information about NIP tax credits or anything else, please call Read Aloud at (304) 345-5212, or email Executive Director Mary Kay Bond at readaloud@frontier.com. Thank you.

Carter Family Foundation and City National Bank support Read Aloud

by Book DistributionDonorsNews

Read Aloud is most grateful to the Carter Family Foundation and City National Bank of West Virginia for funds they recently gave to support our Book Distribution Program.

The Book Distribution program sponsored by Read Aloud West Virginia continues to grow and provide West

Virginia’s children with access to high interest reading material. Research shows that access matters.

Just as access to a basketball and hoop are essential to building basketball skills, access to books and magazines are necessary to building reading skills.

Thank you, Carter Family Foundation and City National Bank, for enabling Read Aloud to reach even more children with high-quality reading material!

 

It’s all about connection…

by News

Read Aloud West Virginia is a literacy nonprofit, but if you condense our mission into a single word, “connection” might be the one to use. We often say habits are caught rather than taught. Children catch the reading habit through connections made possible by volunteers, teachers, families and the community at large. This newsletter offers ample evidence of the connections being made. That connection may be due to increased access to books and family involvement (see “Summer reading projects highlight the importance of access and family involvement” article), inspiring and creative teaching (see “No Fear Shakespeare” article) or community programs that raise reading awareness (see “Berkeley County students in Leadership academy recognized” and “The Great American Read” articles). The list goes on.

I have had reason to reflect on my own childhood connection to reading recently and I vividly recall my father’s pride as he asked me to “read” to my grandfather. I was in kindergarten or first grade and my ability was limited, but I was thrilled that these two very special people in my life were excited that I was learning to read. The message was loud and clear—this reading business was really important and worth my time and attention! I also remember my mother in the grocery store saying yes to the purchase of a golden book when the answer was no to candy or a cookie.

This past year, 1,113 trained Read Aloud readers gave that message to students in 1,652 classrooms on a regular basis. Think of it! Assuming 20 students per class, that is 33,040 students who are getting the message that someone cares enough about them and reading to visit the class regularly and share a good book. We know from the teacher evaluations that these visits generate student enthusiasm and interest in books. Additionally, volunteers and donors have enabled us to put books in the hands of more than 8,300 children this school year alone. In a complex world where much seems beyond our control, Read Aloud offers an opportunity for families, educators, donors and volunteers to make a difference. Let’s keep the momentum going!

~ Mary Kay Bond, RAWV Executive Director