Education and Literacy

BARBARA BUSH LITERACY PROGRAM - SEPTEMBER 2007

DRAWING WINNERS

In early November, the NFRW Literacy Committee announced the winners of the 2007 Literacy Month drawing.

FIRST PLACE PRIZE OF $200: Conner Harrington Republican Women (Texas). This excerpt from the club's entry form details its literacy project:

“Conner Harrington Republican Women have undertaken something new this year for a literacy project. We have chosen to donate children’s books to parents who are soon to be deployed and will not be home each night to read to their small children. Before they are scheduled to leave, we give Service Personnel a book and provide a video recording session for them to read the book to their child. The child will then have the book, a special note from their parent, and a video recording of that parent reading to them.

"As the book is read on video by the parent, the child can read along and be comforted by the parent’s voice and their presence on video. We hope this will ease the separation time for the parent and child, and at the same time encourage the child to love reading.

"Originally this was to be a one-time project, but as we became more involved with the Service Personnel and the effect it was having on both parent and child, we understood the need to continue with our program.

"We continue to look for appropriate books for every age level all through the year and have found this to be a very rewarding project. We plan to continue the project as an ongoing effort.”
 

SECOND PLACE PRIZE OF $50: Republican Women’s Club of Jefferson Parish (Louisiana). The club's literacy projects included:

Book donations in memory of members.

An essay contest for 4th and 5th graders – 4 winning students receive $50 each and attend a club meeting with their principals.

“Up With Words” – Dictionaries donated to third graders in six schools. Thesauruses donated to fifth graders at three schools.

 

DETAILS

In 2002, the NFRW Literacy Committee launched NFRW Literacy Month.

Each September, local clubs have the opportunity to share their projects, ranging from book donations, tutoring and financial support of literacy programs to special one-time events like themed parties with authors. This year's theme is "Readers Become Leaders."

Participating clubs will receive a certificate and will be included in the prize drawing:

  $200 - first prize
  $50 - second prize

Let us know what your club does for literacy. It's fun and easy!

Carol Meny
Chair, NFRW Literacy Committee

 

  Download the official entry form. Clubs have until Oct. 31 to submit the completed form.  , 1 page

  For more information about Literacy Month, contact Committee Chair Carol Meny at agmeny@aol.com or (970) 352-7048.

 

PROJECT IDEAS

√  The Literacy Committee strongly recommends participation in the Dictionary Project. Visit www.dictionaryproject.org for more details.

√  Initiate a cooperative activity with a local library, day care center or school. Possible activities include reading to groups or tutoring students.

√  Donate a subscription to NEWS FOR YOU, a news magazine for teenagers and adults who are new readers, by contacting (800) 448-8878 or nrp@laubach.org.

√  Give the gift of a book to each baby born in your community. For larger cities, pick a doctor and volunteer to provide books during a special week.

√  Get involved with Reach Out and Read (ROR), a national pediatric literacy program and project advocated by First Lady Laura Bush. For more information, visit www.reachoutandread.org.