The Literacy Club
by Colleen Guzman
If you have been watching our show Geek Out SA you know that I am a teacher, so literacy is a topic that I feel strongly about. I love reading, my parents always read, and they shared books with me. I read to all three of my sons and now they are avid readers too. As a teacher I understand the importance of literacy and what it can lead to not only in a person's life as they move towards a future and a career but also as a way to use their imagination, leave this world, live for a moment in another one, and even relieve stress. I believe in the power of literacy, so I was extremely excited when we were contacted by The Literacy Club.
The Literacy Club is an organization in California that is run by some very wonderful people; Jean and Doug Chadwick. We first met Doug through our shared love of tabletop gaming and creating tabletop games, then our relationship flourished as we discussed our desire to bring the gaming community together and to help the general communities around us. Doug told us about the project that he and Jean are champions of because they also believe in the power of literacy and the ability for books to be a safe place for children who may not feel like they have a safe place. Doug and Jean have built and installed over 30 libraries in the Los Angeles and Cleveland area; many of these libraries are in police stations where children can certainly use the safety and peace that books can provide.
The Literacy Club does important work for the community and I would like to share some of their information with you:
The Literacy Club’s mission is to OPTIMIZE the future of
our children by Cultivating Community and Knowledge through reading &
education.
Our focus is to ELIMINATE THE BOOK DESERTS by creating
and distributing book filled small portable libraries which are located within
the inner-city communities. We work with
community leaders and law enforcement organizations to identity the key
locations to inspire and optimize!
I bet now you are asking yourself how can I get The Literacy Club to help me with my community. Here is some information on about how they can help you:
The Literacy Club works diligently partnering with organizations raising funds
to build the libraries and stock them with books. However, funding may not always be available
through The Literacy Club and in those instances we look to the organization(s)
inquiring about a library to facilitate direct funding.
RLarge Custom Library:
$1600 and up (depending on size & theme)
(Includes: Library Unit,
Registration, 500+ Books)
RStandard House Library:
$1100 (custom themed)
Approximate Dimensions (H 6’ x W 32” x D 2’)
(Includes: Library Unit, Registration, 400+ Books)
RSmall Library: $450 and
up (depending on size & theme)
(Includes: Library Unit,
Registration, 50+ Books, Installation)
RSeating area and extra books available for an additional cost
(Pricing various depending space and needs)
If you engage the people at the location to
bring in their age appropriate gently used books it creates a real sense of
stewardship and pride for your library.
RAge appropriate
RNew and gently used
ïFind a date that works for all parties and of course when you
can invite the children of the community to participate
ïEngaging the press (written or TV), press releases, local
councilpersons, local businesses, etc. helps to create excitement around the
library, it’s importance and value.
ïUse Social Media to create excitement
Vincent and I have gotten a library donated to Geek Out SA thanks to The Literacy Club and they are sending us numerous Superhero books to use to fill our library. I will be writing a continuation to this blog to show you the progress on our library (not shown in this blog posts because it is a super secret project) and the books we receive once we receive them. We are excited to be a part of this initiative to encourage literacy and we hope that many more people will participate as well.
For more information visit The Literacy Club Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/achanceforchildren.chadwickslittlefreelibraries/?fref=ts
Here are some examples of some of the libraries that Doug has built:
No comments:
Post a Comment