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“A perfect fit” – Books-A-Million stores support Read Aloud statewide Oct. 8

by BooksChaptersEventsNewsPartners

By Melody Simpson

PLEASE! On Saturday, Oct. 8, go to your local Books-A-Million store in West Virginia and buy some books! (Or toys, tech, or more, to borrow from their logo, although we strongly lean toward books.) And when asked if you would like the store to donate a percentage of your purchase to Read Aloud, say “YES!”

Last year, Raleigh County Read Aloud connected with its local Books-A-Million store for a book fair in support of Read Aloud West Virginia. The event was the brainchild of Anne-Marie Johnson, the store’s general manager and a Raleigh County Read Aloud board member. Believing that BAM and Read Aloud were a “perfect fit,” Johnson hoped to expand her local effort into an ongoing, statewide partnership.

That partnership is blossoming. Ed Reidy, regional manager for Books-A-Million, agreed to have all BAM stores in his region host an event for Read Aloud (with participation from the Martinsburg store, thanks to manager Scott Brown). Between 10 and 20 percent of each designated purchase will be donated by BAM to Read Aloud West Virginia. Local Read Aloud chapters will have volunteers at store locations during the full-day event, with information about Read Aloud and its programs.

“An event like this is a complete win-win for Books-A-Million and Read Aloud,” Reidy noted. “Both of us want a literate, book-loving citizenry, and this is a great way for us to reach out to customers and a local philanthropic organization in our community.” Reidy hopes this is only the first in what becomes a regular statewide fundraising event for Read Aloud in BAM stores.

So bring your children, your grandchildren, your neighbor’s kids, the soccer team after the game—heck, bring your inner child!—and browse the shelves at your local Books-A-Million. You’ll be happy, your local Books-A-Million store will be happy, and Read Aloud West Virginia will be happy—and very grateful for your support.

Anne-Marie Johnson should be pretty happy, too….

Melody Simpson is an attorney at Bowles Rice LLP, a volunteer reader and member of the Read Aloud board and newsletter committee.

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Read Aloud West Virginia receives national book grant

by Book DistributionBooksDonorsNewsPartners

By Lesley McCullough McCallister

Read Aloud West Virginia was recently selected by the Coughlan Companies Communities Fund in partnership with GreaterGood.org (GGO) to receive a National Book grant valued at nearly $200,000 that includes 30,000 books that will  directly benefit West Virginia children and families.

This generous donation to Read Aloud is part of larger 250,000-book distribution campaign throughout the country to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Capstone, Coughlan’s children’s media publishing company, which creates content in a variety of print and digital formats for school libraries, classrooms and at-home learning. Read Aloud was chosen specifically by Coughlan and GGO, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the well-being of people, pets and the planet.

“At Coughlan, we are passionate about improving the lives of all children through our partnerships, innovative outreach programs, and in-kind book donations,” said Christie Skilbred, Coughlan Companies corporate giving representative. “We are thrilled to partner with GreaterGood.org to provide children in West Virginia with the tools they need for success.”

Read Aloud West Virginia Executive Director Mary Kay Bond noted that these books will be distributed later this fall to students in Read Aloud schools. Those who were hit hardest by the floods that ravaged West Virginia at the end of June will be given first priority.

“At Read Aloud, we know that access to books is a critical piece of the literary puzzle,” said Bond. “The books provided by generous organizations like Coughlan and GGO will help us to instill a love of reading in children living in literacy-poor regions.”

For additional information about Coughlan Companies and GGO, please visit www.coughlancompanies.com and www.GreaterGood.org.

Lesley McCallister is a Read Aloud supporter, volunteer and newsletter contributor and a freelance journalist.

 

Back-to-school flood relief drive exceeds expectations

by NewsPartners

By Nikki Moses

How can we help?

That was the burning question asked by compassionate people in West Virginia and beyond after devastating flooding hit the Mountain State in June.

Two people called state Board of Education member Beverly Kingery. She was on vacation, but she said, “Give me a day or two…”

Matt Browning, communications director at West Virginia State University, contacted Read Aloud: “Can we work together to help?”

Many more followed. As momentum built, it became clear that a coordinated effort was needed. Bev Kingery, along with husband Phil, took the lead in the project that has put 9,875 backpacks filled with school supplies in the hands of West Virginia students in time for the new school year!

Donations worth more than $200,000 began flowing in. Businesses, religious organizations, civic and professional groups, educators and individuals and the media dove in.

What could have been logistical chaos (10,000 packs of paper, 30,000 spiral notebooks, pencils galore…) was a smooth operation under Kingery’s guidance. The former school teacher, principal and superintendent procured warehouse space at an 84 Lumber facility Logan. With the help of many community leaders and volunteers the sorting and packing and transporting began. Logan County’s Commission, Board of Education and Sheriff were key players. Deliveries to students began Aug. 5.

In Kanawha County, Bridget Foster led collection efforts with the help of Read Aloud and WVSU Extension Service. WOWK-TV asked viewers to fill a school bus in their Quarrier Street Parking lot, while Capitol Market, Charleston Town Center Mall, Courtyard Marriott, South Charleston Public Library, Wal-Mart in South Charleston and WVSU all served as drop-off locations to provide ease of access for donors.

Counties across the state saw communities come together to help. “This was a case of many hands making light work,” Mary Kay Bond said. “Everyone worked together.”

Nikki Moses is the former editor of the Read Aloud newsletter and a board member. She is an active volunteer in the Charleston community.

BB&T West Virginia Foundation continues to support Read Aloud Book Distribution programs

by Book DistributionDonorsNewsPartners

By Melody Simpson

The BB&T West Virginia Foundation has awarded Read Aloud a $2,500 grant to support book distribution programs throughout the state. BB&T has provided similar financial support for several years now, and we are grateful for the role they continue to play in helping Read Aloud maintain and expand its book distribution programs.

While West Virginia’s eighth grade reading scores still lag behind the national average, in 2015 they were the only state scores in the country to show a significant improvement, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Education in October 2015. However, too many West Virginia children lack access to the tools they need to succeed in school and in life, and books are one of the most important tools required for raising a generation of learners.

Read Aloud has several book distribution programs designed to address this need, including Snuggle and Read (preschool children and families), Reading Round-ups (kindergarten enrollment), Food for Thought (elementary schools), a summer reading pilot program, and even prison workshops and book clubs (to encourage adult inmates to develop reading habits and read to their children).

Thank you, BB&T, for supporting these programs and helping us put books into the hands, and homes, of West Virginia children!

Collaboration for Imagination

by Book DistributionBooksChaptersEventsNewsPartnersReading

By Sara Busse

Country music legend Dolly Parton has a dream: to put books in the hands of young children across America. Thanks to Marion Tanner, that dream is becoming reality in Fayette County.

On May 7th, the Fayette County Read Aloud chapter hosted an event to launch Parton’s program, Imagination Library, to the families of the area. According to Tanner, it was a day to remember.

“Seeing all of those young families bringing in their babies with ribbons in their hair and all dressed up to get books—I haven’t seen anything like that in a long time!” Tanner exclaimed.

Tanner and Linda Cole are chapter co-presidents of Read Aloud in Fayette County. They are expanding the organization to put readers in all county elementary schools. The introduction of Dolly’s program will supplement their efforts by providing access to books for the areas youngest residents.

“We have so many kids who come to kindergarten that have never held a book,” the compassionate retired teacher said. “This encourages them to start libraries of their own.”

Cole and Tanner attended Read Aloud’s summer conference in 2015 and heard Nancy Hanna speak. Hanna works with the Greenbrier County Campaign for Grade Level Reading and talked about resources they were utilizing in the county. Imagination Library was one.

Parton’s initiative provides a book a month to children, ages birth to five, who are registered with the program and living in an area with a sponsor, like Read Aloud in Fayette County. The local group procures money to pay for mailing the books to the children.

“It’s $2.10 per student each month,” Tanner explained. “At the Read Aloud conference, [Hanna] talked about Early Literacy Grants—and one of the things they could be used for was to purchase Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for their school system. I asked the Title One people in our county what they spent that money for, and found out we could apply.” Tanner received a grant through the state and through the Fayette County Board of Education.

Tanner and Cole are members of Delta Kappa Gamma, an international group of women educators, instrumental in organizing the Fayette County Read Aloud program. Many of the Fayette chapter’s members were on hand for the launch of Imagination Library on May 7th in the Oak Hill High School cafeteria.

“It was really rewarding for so many of us from Delta Kappa Gamma. We have all been teachers in the area, and nearly every young parent there was someone we had in school. Now they were bringing in their babies to get books,” Tanner said. The members of Delta Kappa Gamma did face painting and hosted a story corner with  Clifford the dog. Many other community organizations participated in or donated to the event.

“Kroger donated water, Marquee Cinemas in Beckley gave us popcorn,” Tanner said. Other participants included the Fayetteville Women’s Club with a “Jack and the Beanstalk” theme, complete with “magic beans” for the children to plant; the Mount Hope Lions Club with a fishing game as well as eyesight testing; The National Park Service with “Furs and Skulls” (from animals you could find in the New River Gorge such as skunks, otter, fox, etc.); and the West Virginia Treasurer’s office promoting Smart 529 college accounts.

Tanner credits Robin Taylor, Program Director of Imagination Library, of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, with making the Fayette program possible. The department gave the Fayette group a $500 grant to kick off the program.

“We used that money to buy books—we gave books to the brothers and sisters who came in so every child could get a book at the event,” Tanner said. “We registered 160 kids at the event.” After the event, the Fayette Read Aloud group went to the Meadow Bridge library and the Montgomery Library and registered children there, as well. The public libraries in the county will have registration forms, and families can also register online.

While the event was a great success, Tanner is realistic and knows there is a lot of work ahead.

“There are 2,600 kids eligible for the program,” she explained. “When I was a middle school teacher, there were kids who were so far behind because they couldn’t read. But we did something that just might make a difference.

“This is a labor of love—you want them to be successful. It was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time.”

For information on the Imagination Library program, visit www.imaginationlibrary.com. For information about other Imagination Library programs in West Virginia, contact Robin Taylor, Program Director, of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, at robin.j.taylor@wv.gov.

Sara Busse is a long-time Charleston resident and community volunteer. Her work at Trinity’s Table earned her recognition as a 2016 YWCA Woman of Achievement.

 

Photos (l-r): Christie and Grant Campbell registered their children, Christian (l) and Destiny (r), for Imagination Library at Oak Hill High School, May 7; Kathy Coleman (center), Delta Kappa Gamma member, read Jack and the Beanstalk to Brooklyn (l) and Maxx Davis.  The Fayetteville Women’s Club provided materials for children to plant their own magic beans.  Kathy is also a member of the FWC; Clifford, the Big Red Dog was a big hit with young listeners at the launch event.