Have you ever read to a child from a storybook, helped a young person to form the letters of the alphabet with a pencil, or rendered assistance when needed with multiplication tables or computer skills for a youth?
If the answer is “yes”, you have passed along lifelong literacy and learning skills that contribute to the foundation of social and economic well being within the community where you live.
The Canadian Council of Learning states; “Literacy is about more than just words and meaning. It is important because it affects peoples’ lives directly, impacting their chances of employment, level of income and type of occupation. Research show that higher literacy skills can lead to better jobs, increased incomes and greater productivity. Literacy skills also affect social status, level of political participation, opportunities for cultural expression, health, the survival of languages, access to social services and opportunities to learn. Having good literacy skills enhances a country’s quality of life by reducing poverty, lowering unemployment, lessening the need for public assistance and encouraging better parenting.”
Good literacy skills are a vital part of a child’s education as they grow within our communities. Schools provide opportunities to gain these skills, as do community literacy and learning outreach programs which are easily accessible and in almost all instances provided at no charge to the user.
Barriere and Area Literacy Outreach uses funds raised from Raise a Reader to provide Parent Child Mother Goose sessions, four to six weeks of summer learning camps for youth, Literacy Fun Days, help with homework, free books for kids, books for Safe House, books for learning programs, and much more. But most importantly these programs are funded by dollars raised during the annual Raise a Reader Day.
This Tuesday, Sept. 23, is Raise a Reader Day in Barriere and area. Look for the bright orange T-shirts worn by community volunteers as they are out and about in the area hawking a special newspaper issue for your donations.
Raise a Reader Day is the major fundraiser for youth literacy programs over the upcoming 12 months in the North Thompson Valley and for our community of Barriere.. Every dollar raised during Raise a Reader Day in Barriere will stay in the community, and most importantly, every dollar raised can be matched up to 100 per cent by the government.
Please lend your support to this worthwhile fundraiser, your donations will not only help to provide literacy and learning programs for our youth, but will also be contributing to the social and economic well being of your own community. We can continue to accept donations for up to three weeks after Raise a Reader Day, and encourage everyone to lend their support.
If you would like to make a donation, be a volunteer on Raise-a-Reader Day, or learn more about the programs offered by Barriere and Area Literacy Outreach please contact Literacy Outreach Coordinator Jill Hayward at: jill.h@yellowheadcs.ca, or call 250-319-8023, or Yellowhead Community Services 250-672-9773
Thank you for supporting literacy and learning – improving our future one word at a time!