Thank you, Mary Windsor, from the Elmhurst Library, for donating three wonderful bags of children’s books. As with all of our donations, volunteers will sort through the stacks and decide what books are best for kids here in Illinois and what books will be shipped to schools like Mango Grove Community School in Zambia, Africa.
Please feel free to check out our book donation guidelines to see if you have a few books to donate.
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.
By Koriann Lance
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
A to Z Literacy Movement Blog 