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Proposed project for 5010 district matching funds 2016-17: READ WITH ME!
This is an to support literacy for children in Alaska.
1. The goal of this proposal is to reach out to children who have not yet become accomplished readers by 4th grade. To do this we will support the local Guys Read / Gals Read program by volunteering to be readers and financially supporting 8 schools. Each volunteer reader goes to an elementary school for 2 hours, at least four times.
In the distant past, reading instruction was stopped after 3ird grade. It was determined erroneously that kids would have learned to read by then so the instruction began to use reading as a tool for other subjects, such as social studies and math word problems. In the past 15 years research has shown the need for many children, especially boys, to have additional reading instruction and opportunity after third grade. There is also research showing what kinds of books most excite and motivate kids of this age to want to read. Guys Read is a unique approach, with volunteers, begun in Fairbanks, to help these kids over the last hurdle to literacy. Gals Read was developed a little later when it was discovered that some girls can also benefit from this additional exposure to reading. Volunteers go into the school and read the pre-selected material during lunch time.
This program has a great need for volunteers, as they have the program in all 19 elementary schools in the Borough. Since it has been so successful, they are not expanding to serve schools in other parts of Alaska. So they need financial support for the expansion. It costs $500 per school per year to provide the books and coordination. We would like to support eight school with funds and will spread our volunteers to multiple sites, as needed.
Parents, teachers, librarians, and principals like Guys Read, because nearly 100% of all 4th grade boys attend the sessions voluntarily and are inspired to read for the fun of it.
Guys Read won the National Association of Counties Academic Achievement Award in 2010, and the Public Library Association's Innovations in Literacy Award in 2013. Programs modeled on Guys Read have begun to spread across rural Alaska, from Barrow and Nome to Wasilla and Seward. To find out more go to their web site: http://guysgalsread.org/
ROTARIAN INVOLVEMENT:
At least 1/3 of our Rotarians have agreed to volunteer to help with the READ WITH ME project. The majority will volunteer as readers for Guys & Gals Read. The club members very strongly support this project. EVERY Rotarian, except one who is retired and a snowbird, at our club meeting at a recent club meeting signed up to either volunteer or donate to this project. There were no dissenting votes.
This club has a history of supporting literacy projects by participating in the spelling bee for the literacy council and by distributing dictionaries to elementary school children. At this time we have no literacy project and are very committed to establishing the READ WITH ME project. Approximately half of the members are associated with the university and strongly see the need for more literacy among young people in Alaska. A few members have been volunteer tutors or readers in the past couple of years and the 2015-16 D 5010 Chair for the Literacy committee is a member of our club.
PARTNERSHIPS:
This project includes partnerships with the Literacy Council of Alaska, The Library Foundation, The FNSB schools and many other community volunteers.
BUDGET:
Total:$4000 for Guys & Gals Read. Club contribution =$2000; District contribution = $2000
Addendum to Project Description (added after the project was signed)
Since other clubs were unable to complete their projects, Read with Me was funded for an additional $1000 from D5010, which caused the club to also donate another matching $1000. The total donation to Guys Read/Gals Read for this grant was $6000.
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