PLEASE HELP US WITH OUR “GIVE A BOOK CAMPIAGN – STARTS MARCH 08

“The more that you read,

The more things you will know.

The more that you learn,

The more places you’ll go.”

- Dr. Seuss -

Worcester: the City that Reads Committee has completed a very successful “Love a Book Month” for February. The goal was to encourage literacy across the city and we did just that. Activities at the Webster House, schools, and libraries all took place under the umbrella of Worcester: the City that Reads.

Being a reader is one of the key predictors of school success. We as a community need to work together in developing within each child a life- long love for reading.

Our next committee project is to place a book into the hands of children who could not be able to afford to purchase a book of their very own. We have established an ad hoc committee, entitled “GAB – Give a Book” headed by School Committee John Monfredo and City Councilor Gary Rosen. This will be our second year of raising an awareness of reading for last year we collected over 13,000 gently used and new books for the children in our city. The books were distributed to the children in June for summer reading and additional books were given to social agencies, health centers, summer school projects and other organizations that work with children. Our goal this year is to collect 15,000 books and with everyone’s assistance we are confident that we can do it.

Why put the energy into this enormous undertaking? Well, let’s look at the statistics on literacy.

· According to the U.S. Department of Education 44 million adults in the U.S. can’t read well enough to read a simple story to a child.

· The National Adult Literacy Survey stated that children who have not developed some basic literacy skills by the time they enter school are 3-4 times more likely to drop out in later years.

· Students who reported having all four types of reading materials ( books, magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias) in their home scored, on average, higher than those who reported having fewer reading materials – The National Center for Education Statistics.

· So strong is the link between literacy and being a useful member of society that some states use grade-level statistics as a factor in projecting future prison construction – Bob Chase, President of National Education Association. ( That is a frightening statistic )

· Since 1983, more than 10 million Americans reached the 12^th grade without having learned to read at a basic level. In the same period, more than 6 million Americans dropped out of high school altogether. – A Nation Still At Risk – U.S. Department of Education.

· Growing up without books is growing up deprived and with a deprivation that puts one at risk for failure. – Dr. Perri Klass, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine.

These statistics tell the story for as educators, this is what has motivated my wife and me to try and make a difference in the community. On the positive side what can we do about this problem? Well, let’s again look at what I have written in the past and what research tells us about best practices.

· According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, reading aloud to children is as important as fastening their seat belts and providing good nutrition. “A child care provider reads to a toddler. And in a matter of seconds, thousands of cells in these children’s growing brains respond. Some brain cells are turned on, triggered by this particular experience… new brain cells are formed, adding a bit more definition and complexity to the intricate circuitry that will remain largely in place for the rest of these children’s lives.” The AAP also has recommended that pediatricians prescribe reading activities along with other instructions given to parents at the time of well-child visits. – University of Chicago

· The development of early literacy skills through early experiences with books and stories is critically linked to a child’s success in learning to read. – author C.E. Snow

· Children who are read to from an early age are more successful at learning to read.

· Reading aloud to children is the single most important intervention for developing their literacy skills according to an earlier study by the National Commission on Reading.

· Having an access to a wide variety of reading material is essential if a child is to develop into a strong reader.

This is just a tip of the iceberg as to what research has suggested as to what needs to get done if we are to “create a nation of readers.” Thus, in our small way we are truly working to make “Worcester: the City that Reads.”

The goal of the committee is to collect 15, 000 books by May 10^th. The project entitled, Worcester Community: Give a Book or project GAB (suggested by Anne-Marie Monfredo) hope to give out these books to inner city children for summer reading as we did last year. All books collected are for children pre-kindergarten to grade 8.

The drive will start on March 15^th with a number of businesses signed on to not only collect books from their employees but to allow citizens in their community to donate their books at the workplace.

We are encouraging our readers and their friends to drop off a gently used or new book at the following locations: ( More sites will be added as we get going with the project)

Flagship Bank (all six branches)

Barnes and Noble Book Store on Lincoln Street

City Council Office at City Hall

Worcester Public Library (please state that it’s for GAB)

St. Peter – Marian High School

Holy Name

Worcester Academy

Stop and Shop on West Bolyston Street

Stop and Shop on Lincoln Street

Stop and Shop on Grafton Street

Shaws Market at Goldstar Boulevard

Shaws Market at Webster Square

All Worcester Public High Schools

StarbucksCoffee locations in Worcester:
- 11 East Central Street
- 225 Shrewsbury Street
- 1 West Boylston Street


Walden Books located at:
Greendale

Other schools and businesses are welcome to come aboard and help us make a difference in the community. For more information or if you have books to donate, please contact John Monfredo at 508 -853-3444 or Gary Rosen at 508 799-1153.