Welcome to The Words Alive Reader, a regular newsletter keeping you up-to-date with the latest in how we've been connecting children, teens, and families to the power of reading. What have we been up to and how can you help? Read on to find out!
This newsletter, in addition to our blog and social media content, is written by us, a cohort of volunteers! Do you love writing and have an interest in helping Words Alive create this type of content? We'd love your help! Email to learn more.
- Zoe, Eli, Nia and Titiksha, Words Alive Storytelling Team
Farmers is Matching the Next $5,000 Raised
A graphic that says “Become a Champion for Words Alive This Winter!” above the Champions for Youth logo.
Just announced: Farmers Insurance will be matching the next $5,000 we raise in our campaign! This means that if you give now, your gift will go farther than ever. Not only will a $10 donation become $20, it will also move us ahead in the competition for up to $40,000 in bonus funding from The Century Club of San Diego and Farmers Insurance.
Since December, 22 incredible champions have already helped us engage 253 donors, raising $20,000 of our $30,000 goal! We have two weeks left to raise as much as we can. Donate today to take advantage of the match and make the biggest impact with your gift.
Melinda Wynar, Community Champion
We're proud to announce that Melinda Wynar, one of our volunteers, has recently been recognized by Molina Healthcare as a Community Champion for her leadership and service to our community! Over the last 6 years, Melinda has been a dedicated volunteer for many different Words Alive initiatives, from the Read Aloud Program to the Authors Auction, and her commitment to her community continues to shine through her actions every day. We're so grateful for Melinda! Read more about her in our most recent blog post.
Volunteers Needed: Work Directly with Families and Kids!
A screenshot of one of our programs taking place over Zoom.
Interested in working directly with families and young students? Sign up to help with the Family Literacy Program! Beginning in February, we need small group facilitators to lead activities with families in breakout rooms, English/Spanish bilingual lead facilitators, and volunteers experienced with Zoom to support facilitators and participants during the sessions. Help families build healthy reading habits through sharing and exploring stories together! Email our Volunteer Coordinator, Robyn Grand, if you are interested.
Learning Kits for Monarch School
An image of the supplies going into the kits: colored pencils, scissors, glue sticks, erasers, and more.
We're partnering with Monarch School to create and deliver 350 learning kits to their students! Monarch is a wonderful school here in San Diego that exclusively serves youth experiencing homelessness.
As part of an all-school reading initiative focused on mental health and well-being students from all grades will receive books and activities, including a guide on how to talk, write, and connect about what they are reading with their families. They will also receive supplies to participate in our upcoming Art & Lit project! We are excited to be working with such a wide range of ages to extend our programming across the whole school.
Want to support even more students with at-home learning? We need volunteers based in San Diego to help us assemble crafts that accompany the stories children are reading! Email our Volunteer Coordinator, Robyn Grand, to learn more.
Help Us Provide Books to San Ysidro High School
The covers of the books The Radius of Us by Marie Marquardt, Internment by Samira Ahmed, and The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by West More.
Last week, we officially started an exciting partnership between San Ysidro High School and Words Alive! We are training educators at the school to (virtually) implement Adolescent Book Group at their campus. Through this partnership, we will be engaging 350 high school students with a book-club style discussion of three powerful novels: The Radius of Us, Internment, and The Other Wes Moore.
In order for us to give books to all of the students, we still need 175 copies of each of the three titles. If you would like to provide a high schooler with books they can read, love, and take home to keep, click here. We thank you for your support!
Join Words Alive at This Year’s SDIJFF
A graphic that says “31st annual SDIJFF: February 11-21, 2021; screenings from the comfort of your home.”
Words Alive is excited to announce that we are a community partner for the 31st Annual San Diego International Jewish Film Festival. This year’s festival will include not only over 36 films to enjoy virtually, but also more than 20 on-demand films available from February 11-21, 2021, all from the comfort of your own home. By using our code WORDS21, you can get $2 off an individual ticket purchase at lfjcc.org/film. Invite your friends and family for 11 days of film celebration and festivities. We hope to see you there!