FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katie Nieri, 661-817-3638
WORDS ALIVE OPENS PERMANENT HOME IN DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO TO CREATE HUB FOR YOUTH LITERACY INITIATIVES
SAN DIEGO – June 7, 2023 – Words Alive announces the gift of a 5,000 square-foot building in the East Village in downtown San Diego, courtesy of Karen and Jeff Silberman, to permanently house its efforts to improve regional literacy.
The organization’s new permanent home places the nonprofit organization closer to some of the region’s highest areas of need. Roughly 70% of its partner schools are now within six miles of the Words Alive headquarters, which drastically reduces the driving time for volunteers who delivered quality reading programming and 30,000 books and learning kits last year.
“The impact of the Silberman’s donation to World’s Alive can’t be understated—it’s allowing us to enter a new chapter of literacy advocacy and impact in San Diego,” said Rachael Orose, executive director of Words Alive. “This permanent home establishes a youth literacy hub in downtown and allows us to more effectively harness the power of our people – volunteers, staff and families– to inspire a new generation of learners.”
Nearly half of third graders in the San Diego Unified School District are not reading at grade level, according to reports from the U.S. Department of Education and San Diego Council on Literacy. Significant literacy disparities, largely driven by socioeconomic factors, are leaving too many kids behind.
“Reading is the first step toward empowerment and opportunity, and we believe Words Alive is uniquely situated to positively impact the lives of children in San Diego County,” said Karen and Jeff Silberman, who donated the property on Park Boulevard to Words Alive. “We look forward to seeing how this permanent home can help the organization advance its programs designed to ignite a love of reading among local families.”
Words Alive creates community by empowering over 800 volunteers to actively promote literacy in their communities through the Family Literacy Program, Read Aloud Program, Adolescent Book Group and other initiatives that reach over 5,000 children, teens and families each year. Register to volunteer or donate at wordsalive.org.
ABOUT WORDS ALIVE
Founded in 1999, Words Alive is a 501(c)3 organization that connects children, teens and families with the power of reading. Words Alive provides access to relevant and quality books, shared reading experiences, and a connection to reading that lays the foundation for continued success. To learn more about Words Alive visit: www.WordsAlive.org.
Photos for media use available: Ribbon Cutting Media Photo Library — Words Alive.
Photo credit: Photos courtesy of RZ-Photography.com | @rzphotosofficial
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