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Backpacks stocked with books and food help Randolph County kids

by Book DistributionChaptersEnrichment Ideas

by Dr. Mary Boyd, Randolph County Chapter President

Since 2018, Read Aloud Randolph County has been putting brand new books in backpacks for children who qualify for the food program that works out of First United Methodist Church in Elkins.  Kids get the backpacks once a week, and the books are put in the backpacks once a month. 

Mary Boyd sorting books in May 2022 at First United Methodist Church.

We started this program back in 2018 when I went to a Read Aloud West Virginia conference where many ideas are shared by other counties. Jackson County has a very active Read Aloud program, and they had been putting books in backpacks. I brought the idea back to our board, and it just seemed to resonate with the other folks on the board, so we started looking for ways to pay for it.

With lots of help from Read Aloud West Virginia, we got grants from both the Tucker Community Foundation and the Snowshoe Foundation to get us started. The state people thought getting grants locally was a good idea, and it worked. The money helped us get brand new books with nameplates, so the kids can take ownership of the books. Also, the kids get to choose the books, so they can get what they are interested in.

The program was put on hold in 2020, but in late 2021, the church started the food program back again, so the kids got books in February, March, April, and May of 2022. Since the county chapter did not apply for grants while the program was on hold, Read Aloud West Virginia provided the books from their stock made possible by community contributions and support. Participating schools have been Jennings Randolph, Midland, North, Third Ward, Elkins Middle and High School, Coalton, George Ward, Tygarts Valley, and Harman. 

Randolph volunteer Judie Smith’s vehicle filled with books that she transported from Charleston.

Read Aloud West Virginia started in Kanawha County in 1986 with the mission of motivating children to read for fun, helping them become better readers. For many years, the organization was led by Mary Kay Bond as Executive Director. Currently, it operates in 46 counties, with 29 local volunteer chapters. The state Read Aloud office is based in Charleston, where current Executive Director Dawn Miller and other Read Aloud staff make possible projects like this one across the state.

Read Aloud WV did not shut down during the pandemic – it evolved to continue serving students! Over 26,800 books were given out in 2021, a new organizational record for annual book distribution. Read Aloud is on track to break 100,000 books given by the end of 2022, and the Randolph County backpack program will be part of that achievement.

“We hope we can continue with this wonderful program.  We love putting books into the hands of kids and ideas into their heads,” says Dr. Boyd.

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‘We help restore lives’

by Book DistributionChapters

By Calentha Quesenberry

When Marion Tanner asked a probation officer what would help Fayette County’s drug court the most, she was told: Incentives.

Defendants who participate in drug court look forward to reconnecting and bonding with their children more than anything else, Probation Officer Jennifer Smith said.

Naturally, as passionate as Tanner is about early literacy, her wheels started spinning. What better way to incentivize participants to meet their goals and help them to spend quality time with their children than with books? Books provide a loving way to bond with children and build skills that set children up for lifelong success.

Tanner, co-chair of Read Aloud’s Fayette County Chapter, worked with Read Aloud’s state office to get 200 books to Fayette County for the adult drug court program last fall.

A list of participants’ children (age and gender only) were shared with volunteers. Books were chosen, bagged and passed on to Smith for distribution at participants’ October hearing.

“I love the books. My kids are excited to get them every month,” said Paula, a drug court participant.

November, December and February 2020 book distributions followed. Fayette County Read Aloud is currently serving 12 families with a total of 26 children and a distribution of 85 books and counting.

“Fayette County Adult Drug Program is more than just supporting participants in recovery,” said Fayette County Circuit Judge Thomas Ewing. “We help restore lives. I see the participants get excited when they receive the books. This tells me we are repairing vital relationships at home. We are helping to facilitate bonding with children. There is nothing better than helping reunite families, one step at a time.”

Fayette County’s drug court was established in 2016, the 26th in West Virginia. Fayette is the 45th county served by a drug court. Only nonviolent offenders are considered for the program. Defendants spend at least a year receiving intense monitoring and counseling. Addicts are held accountable to the community, their families and victims who have been harmed.

“Everyone around the addict is affected in some way,” Tanner said. “Children may be removed from the homes, only to be placed with grandparents or trusted relatives. Others may enter the welfare system and/or the foster care system.”

Both children and parents look forward to receiving their books every month, Smith said.

“Sometimes we do not have to do big, great things to enable this,” she said. “We are seeing that small suggestions and simple parenting prompts go a long way.”

“I see my son every other weekend,” said Eric, another drug court participant. “I have to read one of the books every night at bedtime.”

Calentha Quesenberry is a Read Aloud of Fayette County volunteer.

BB&T West Virginia Foundation helps put books in children’s hands

by Book DistributionDonorsNewsSupporters

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, and the organization is grateful for the role they continue to play in helping Read Aloud maintain and expand its book distribution programs.

Sixty-one percent of low-income families do not have children’s books in the home, according to the Campaign for Grade Level Reading. Research has found that access to books is a critical factor in educational achievement. It is such a key element that researcher and California State University professor Jeff McQuillan concluded that “the only behavior measure that correlates significantly with reading scores is the number of books in the home.”

Read Aloud West Virginia offers comprehensive, research-based programming designed to engage families, provide consistent “commercials” for reading in the classroom and increase student access to print. Distribution of books and other high-interest reading materials through events that engage children and families is integral to our efforts. Projects vary from county to county based on availability of funds and resources. Programs offered include:

Reading Round Up

Working in conjunction with public schools, volunteers distribute books, magazines and educational materials to students and parents participating in spring Kindergarten and Pre-kindergarten Round-ups (enrollment fairs attended by a majority of students entering kindergarten). Children choose their books from a selection of titles chosen for their age group.

Snuggle and Read

Preschool students and their families are invited to a program where they receive a blanket and books of their choice. A short presentation provides information about the importance of reading aloud to children and a parent’s role in education. Children hear a story read by a Read Aloud volunteer and educational materials are provided to families.

Summer Reading Initiative

This program provides six books to each student at a designated elementary school at the end of the school year. Ideally, the program is offered to students for a minimum of three years to maximize efficacy, as the effects of summer learning loss are cumulative. Children choose the books they receive from a list of titles selected by experts in the field of children’s literacy and an end-of-year event is held to distribute the books.

Distribution by Request

Read Aloud sponsors general distribution of new and used books as funding and availability permit. It is important to distribute books in a way that is meaningful to students and involves families in the process. All schools enrolled in Read Aloud are eligible to request books through this program. Schools often request books for distribution at family fun nights and other school-sponsored events.

BB&T West Virginia Foundation has been an indispensable partner to Read Aloud West Virginia’s Book Distribution Program. Since 2008, Read Aloud has grown to serve 30 county chapters. That growth brings additional opportunities to place books in the hands and homes of children. With BB&T West Virginia Foundation’s support, the organization can provide more children the tools they need to succeed in school and life.

Teamwork puts books in homes of Tucker County students

by Book DistributionEventsNews

Kindergarten students at Tucker Valley Elementary/Middle School received book shelves and books for their homes at the school’s year-end picnic.

Read Aloud chapter coordinator Tracy Harlan partnered with Janice Brady of West Virginia Children’s Home to the benefit of both organizations.

“I donated 100 teen books to WVCH and in turn, Mr. Mike Mason, woodworking instructor, and a team of students worked on building the shelves,” said Harlan.

“It was an amazing result,” she continued. “We got the shelves we needed and [Brady] created a mobile lab for her students to use to check out books. It was a win-win for all!”