Category Archives: Local Outreach

Garden Quarter Family Literacy Night

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By Mal Keenan

On October 30th, A to Z volunteers hosted their third Family Literacy Night at Garden Quarter Resource Center. Amanda shared The Spirit of Uncle Fernando (El Espiritu de Tio Fernando) aloud with children, modeling reading interaction and strategies for parents, while engaging the families in conversation about this wonderful story.  After enjoying the story, the kids once again selected five books to add to their home libraries. For me – this is the best part – helping kids decide what books go home after talking about what they really like and what they really want to read.

Reflections on The Clinic

By Koriann Lance

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I was nervous coming to the clinic to volunteer. I didn’t know what to expect, as I had never been a part of an event such as this before. After I helped the first young girl find a book just for her, my heart melted and I forgot about my nerves. To know that this little girl went home with something all her own to get lost in and enjoy….priceless.

I also remember several adult individuals thanking me, repeatedly. I heard from several people “God bless you.” I wanted to say, “No, God bless you!” They gave me the gift of helping me open my eyes to the needs of our community. They gave me the fulfillment of knowing that I helped in some small way, though I know much more needs to be done. They gave me the gift of understanding what a community really means.

The clinic was held at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Crystal Lake, IL.  If you’d like to learn more, please visit them at http://www.imcl.us/#/missions-outreach

Garden Quarter Reflection

Michelle and reader

This past Thursday was the last day of Summer Story Boost at Garden Quarter. As with all new things, there were a few kinks to work out. The book shelves we had hoped to have in place by the end of June did not get built, however a fellow teacher gave three of her own bookshelves to house all of the novels and picture books A to Z had donated. Some weeks, we had plenty of volunteers, while other weeks, we had just a few, but I was encouraged by new faces involved with A to Z this summer. And since Summer Story Boost was a drop-in program, some kids didn’t stay to read, which is hard not to take personally. But here’s what kept me going – Ruby and Fernando may not have always stuck around, but Justino and America came every week, ready to dive into a story. My job was to show up with a great book, to encourage conversation, and to share the love of reading.

Local Literacy

A to Z Literacy Movement is partnering this summer with a local nonprofit, Garden Quarter Neighborhood Resource Center. A to Z volunteers will head to McHenry, IL for Summer Story Boost, reading with small groups of children who are attending the resource center. Part of Garden Quarter’s mission is to encourage education and multicultural relationships which ties beautifully to the work of A to Z. Summer Story Boost will get books into at-risk children’s hands, help grow their love of reading, and increase their expressive and receptive language. We are proud to be working with this nonprofit and feel honored to serve another group of children. If you’d like to learn more about Garden Quarter, please check out their website, http://www.gardenquarter.org/ .