Hey A to Z Literacy Friends,

How’s the spring cleaning going? We are hopeful you will be heading to the Crystal Lake Savers this Friday, April 28th or Saturday, April 29th to drop off your second-hand donations while helping A to Z to raise a few dollars. Feel free to drop off your bags of clothing, household items, toys, sporting goods and the like. (No furniture please) And while dropping your jeans, soccer ball, and lamp, be sure to mention the donation is for A to Z Literacy Movement. They will then weigh the goods and credit our nonprofit organization.

Thanks for your continued support!

Yahoo! This spring break provided by Mother Nature here in northern Illinois sure has been a breath of fresh air. With the sun bringing warmer days, we hope you are doing some clearing out of clothing and items you no longer want or need with the thought of donating them.

A to Z has partnered with Savers for a few years now in holding an ongoing donation drive. Due to changes in their storage capabilities, Savers isn’t able to take secondhand donations all the time.Therefore, we have set a date for a two-day donation event at the drive through at Savers’ Crystal Lake store. Friday, April 28th & Saturday, April 29th are the days dedicated this year. Please mention A to Z Literacy Movement by name when donating items and we will receive payment for your donated goods from Savers. We’d love if you could start collecting clothing, household items, toys, sporting goods and the like (No furniture please). Stockpile them, mark your calendars for April 28th & 29th and start Spring cleaning this week!

By Belinda Strebel

The 4th Annual A to Z Literacy Dodgeball Tournament has left me a bit breathless. From running the halls Tuesday morning looking for players, fielding Connor’s hourly dodgeball questions, finding kids last minute players and trying to imagine new and fun ways to make this year’s event the greatest yet…I am exhausted. But, in the very best of ways. The slow trickle of kids coming into my room Monday, growing into a wave of enthusiasm on Friday afternoon, reminds me that giving up is never an option. When you are in the business of telling kids that they can make this world a better place, throwing in the towel and blaming a slow start on apathy is not the answer. Running the halls and being a crazy, flexible, creative, persistent problem solver is one of the best ways to show kids how to continue on even when things aren’t going their way. Because I truly believe that kids can change the world for the better; they just have to see some examples.

 

Wondering about our silent auction on Saturday night? Here’s a quick update. We’ve got a two day Harley Davidson rental, a wakeboard day pass at The Quarry, Blackhawks tickets, two different sets of Cubs tickets, and a print from an original ink drawing proclaiming a great book. In all, the team has gathered and assembled over 40 different fantastic items to bid on.

We are hoping you will attend A to Z’s Libations for Literacy wine and beer tasting on Saturday, February 4th at Park Place in Crystal Lake to try and win a few baskets while supporting a great cause. Tickets can be purchased online at www.atozliteracy.org or at the door on Saturday night.

It happens every year.

On Saturday, the A to Z Literacy team is going to host our seventh February fundraiser.

With just five days left, Fear and Anxiety are making their annual appearance.

Fear tells me no one is going to show up.

Anxiety explains that I’m going to let my hard-working and dedicated team down.

Fear mutters about our annual goals not being met.

Anxiety chimes in and proclaims that people are tired of A to Z.

Fear whispers that the Zambian teachers and students may not receive support this year.

Anxiety comments on my abilities as an organizer.

As I try to deflect what Fear and Anxiety are saying to me, it’s still tough.

While I’m proud of the thousands of books given away to children in 2016, I’m still left with the sinking feeling that our annual event isn’t going to be a smashing success.

And while I lie in bed awake, my prayer is to trust that I can continue to serve God’s  people in the months and years ahead.

I will trust that folks will show up on Saturday night and want to support a little nonprofit trying to make a big difference while ignoring the chatterings of Fear and Anxiety.

Tickets can be purchased at www.atozliteracy.org or at the door.

Don’t miss A to Z Literacy Movement’s annual fundraiser: Libations for Literacy. We are returning to our favorite fundraiser––wine and beer tasting coupled with a fabulous silent auction.  Donations from our local establishments will have you in a bidding war! Garfield’s, Wild Onion and Crystal Lake Brewing will be sure to please! Join us as we raise funds to support our goal to improve literacy lives locally and globally.  Within our community, we distribute books to our neediest readers through local events throughout the year.  Globally we enrich the literacy lives of impoverished children in Zambia by professionally developing 125 teachers, providing school lunches, shipping books, and offering scholarships.  Because of you, we are able to reach so many.  Join us on February 4th from 7-10 at Park Place to celebrate the lives we’ve impacted and to make our goals a reality in 2017.  You can purchase tickets online: http://www.atozliteracy.org or at the door.

As our organization has grown, A to Z Literacy Movement has stretched its wings around our local communities and around the world.  I’ve been involved since nearly the beginning of our small, but mighty nonprofit organization and it fills my heart with gladness to see the work we do.  Having traveled with Mal (and others) to Zambia three times now, I’ve seen first-hand how donations are put into actions, and how literacy lives are being shaped by your support.  I love that we use the donations we get very wisely and that we don’t have a lot of overhead…which means your support is directly transferred to the people who need it most.  Thank you, thank you for your help and we sincerely hope to see you at Park Place on February 4th for Libations for Literacy.  It’s going to be a fabulous night!

Cheers,

Betty

Four super awesome Cubs tickets? Check.

Classy Kitchen basket and Summer Fun basket? Yep.

Dog Lovers basket and Home Improvement box? Yes.

Beer & Wings prize tub?Ready.

Knitting Knerds basket and Family Fun basket? Got’ em.

Slow Burn Candles? Of course.

So many great things to bid on and win.

We will see you on Saturday, Feb. 4th at Park Place.

Head to www.atozliteracy.org for your tickets.

Do you like sampling delicious wines and different craft beers? Well, if you do, you are not going to want to miss A to Z Literacy Movement’s Libations for Literacy fundraising event on Saturday, February 4, 2017 from 7:00-10:00 at Park Place. Can you think of a better way to spend a Saturday night in the middle of our midwestern winter on your own, as a couple, or with a group of friends? Come on out to sample a few wines and beers courtesy of Garfield’s, bid on a gift basket or two, and have a fantastic time while supporting this 501c3 nonprofit organization. As always, all donations are tax deductible and proceeds benefit the work and mission of A to Z Literacy Movement. Head to the website to purchase your tickets – www.atozliteracy.org or you can buy them at the door on Feb. 4th.

Here’s a look at what A to Z was able to accomplish in 2016. We are proud of the literacy development work our nonprofit continues to provide both locally and globally. We could not do this important work without YOU. Thank you for continuing to believe in our mission to promote the love of reading and improve the literacy lives of impoverished and at-risk children.

January – We wired $1,000 to Zambia for 2 high school scholarships including fees for books, uniforms, and testing.  Additionally, Woods Creek Elementary School in Crystal Lake raised $785 in their A to Z Coins for Cause.

February – Our Trivia Night fundraiser raised $3,500. We also received brand new Scholastic books from Windsor Elementary in Arlington Heights and we wired $400 to cover the cost of two Zambian middle school girls’ tuition.

March – Bernotas Middle School hosted their third annual A to Z Dodgeball Tournament to raise much needed funds for shipping. 

April – Hannah Beardsley Middle School hosted their first annual A to Z Dodgeball Tournament to successfully raise funds for our nonprofit.

May – Crystal Lake Central High School AVID students’ service learning project was completed for a second year in a row. In this project, eleventh graders created educational and engaging “Books in Bags” for School of Hope children in Zambia. 

June – A to Z team members were on the ground in Zambia. They served at two schools, worked with students in grades one through twelve, and provided professional development for 150 Zambian teachers.

July– A to Z partnered with District 47 and gave away 500 books to students attending summer school at Glacier Ridge Elementary.

August – Again partnering with District 47, A to Z handed out 500 books to students attending Title 1 summer school at Coventry Elementary. Another 400 books were shipped to a Peace Corps volunteer in South Africa working to establish a community school.

September – A to Z shipped over 500 children’s books to a small rural school in the Philippines.

October – Over 600 books were given away at The Clinic, a local McHenry County outreach event for families in need.

November – A to Z hosted the Hunger Bowl at Metro Bowl to raise funds for Shine Zambia Reading Academy’s lunch program.

December – Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington hosted an A to Z book drive with a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.