Chapter Activities
ALBUQUERQUE
At Zuni Elementary School approximately 150 children and 10 volunteers
celebrated the Reading Rally with the Albuquerque Chapter. Awards were
presented to students and teachers. The event recognized students who
read at least 10 books over the summer. Working with the school librarian,
the Chapter hosted a huge party for the Summer Reading Achievers, complete
with face painting, caricature artist, games, food and certificates for
all the students. Teachers participating in the program received a $20
bookstore gift certificate. Total sponsorships amounted to $320 for pizza
and prizes.
On November 16th the Chapter held a Book Fair and Literacy Event at
Zuni Elementary School with 8 volunteers and 75 children involved. The
event focused on teaching parents and students about the benefits of a
lifetime commitment to reading. A storyteller read “The Polar Express”.
This event was paired with the annual Book Fair where parents and children
could purchase books and reference materials for themselves, and also
for the teachers and classrooms. The EWI Chapter also provided numerous
new and used books to the school and students.
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ATLANTA
 Approximately
35 children and 6 volunteers listened to a storyteller on Saturday, October
23rd at the library of Drew Charter School. As third graders arrived,
they were greeted by EWI members and given a T-shirt and nametag. Ms.
LaDoris Davis, a member of the Southern Order of Storytellers, sat in
a rocking chair and read “Dirt Boy”, “White Socks Only”,
“The Giving Tree,” “Muffaro’s Beautiful Daughter”
and ad-libbed stories in between. The children then formed groups of 5-6
and read aloud “The Hundred Penny Box” with the help of volunteers.
The students then drew and colored pictures describing part of a book
they heard read by Ms. Davis. Sponsors furnished lunch, juice, toys, pencils,
tablets and a marker/drawing set which was won by a student.
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AUSTIN
Approximately 65 students, parents and siblings participated in the Reading
Rally held Saturday, October 23rd at the Blackshear Elementary School.
The school enrollment includes pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. On
Friday (the day before the Reading Rally) a gleaming fire truck came into
the school yard for the children to examine and to visit with the firemen.
Afterwards, the children assembled in the school cafeteria to read, write
stories, color, make collages, make their own picture stories and make
covers for the stories. They chose books to read while at school and had
books to take home. On Saturday “Clifford the Big Red Dog”
greeted guests at the school! The Austin Chapter won the use of the costume
from sponsor Scholastic, Inc., and Sean Stone (son of member Judy Stone)
played the role. The children hugged "Clifford" enthusiastically
and relentlessly, and showed him the results of their creative efforts.
“McGruff, the Crime Stopper Dog” was also a guest and made
many children “deputies” for the day. Lindsey Lane, author
of “Snuggle Mountain” read her book and explained how she
wrote the book, how it was published and illustrated. EWI members read
to the children, and the children read to them and to the parents present.
Member firms and representatives donated over $1,000 in gifts including
books, prizes, pens, pencils, coloring materials ,paper, cookies, candy
and goodie bags for the children, as well as binders for the teachers
to use in classrooms.
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BATON ROUGE
 At
LaBelle Aire Elementary on Thursday, October 21st, 35 second-grade children
and 12 volunteers gathered for the Baton Rouge Chapter Reading Rally.
Activities began by distributing the official “Be a Leader –
Be a Reader “ Reading Rally T-shirts to the children.
The children then enjoyed a “performance” of two stories
by guest Angela Davis, The Yarnspinner Storyteller. She utilized a "Buggy
about Books" theme for the event. At the conclusion of her performance,
each child received a donated copy of the book “Twin Troubles”
autographed by Ms. Davis courtesy of her literacy alliance with sponsor
Scholastic Books.
Each child was given a book-making kit which contained a hardback 12-page
blank book, along with markers, crayons, stickers and pencils. Also, each
child had their digital photo taken for the “About the Author”
section of their book. Special guests included Diane Lipscomb (Principal
of LaBelle Aire Elementary), Michelle Champagne (Librarian), Martha Jane
Tassin (District Councilwoman) and Dr. Margaret Mary Sulentic (Associate
Superintendent of East Baton Rouge Parish Schools).
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BIRMINGHAM
The Birmingham Chapter invited children from several local shelters and
elementary schools to the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center on Saturday,
October 23rd. The majority of children attending (96) were from Hill Elementary
School and Jessie’s Place. Guest speaker Tracy Ingleright, a teacher
from Gordon Bibb Elementary School in Decatur, Alabama, read the book
“Stellaluna “by Jannell Cannon. Tracy also presented a live
demonstration and educational presentation of bats and birds. “Batman”
and “Batgirl” made a surprise visit. Approximately 12 volunteers
helped the children write their own stories. Each child received a Reading
Rally T-shirt, a copy of the book "Stellaluna", lunch, goodie
bags and chances to win door prizes which were furnished by member firms
and sponsors.
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CHARLOTTE
 The
Charlotte Chapter held a Reading Rally on Friday, October 22 at the main
facility of the YWCA. Children from three after-school program sites,
between the ages of 6 and 12, were brought in to enjoy an educational
and fun-filled afternoon. Names tags and T-shirts were distributed by
10 volunteers to 41 children upon arrival and “Big Bird” visited
as they ate hot dogs and cookies. The children shared their favorite books
and book characters, and discussed the world of imagination through reading.
After lunch the children enjoyed an educational program
presented by a well-known local children’s storyteller/entertainer
who used juggling, illusion, dance, and mime to illustrate the wonders
of the imagination. Each child received two books and a goodie bag to
take home. In addition, each after-school site received a collection of
books for its facility. The Chapter received a $1,000 Wal-Mart grant to
purchase items used for the Reading Rally.
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CLEVELAND
Twenty students from the Daniel E. Morgan Elementary School experienced
literacy through their visit to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on October
23rd. The children and 11 volunteers enjoyed the zoo’s “Spots,
Stripes and Solids” program which included a movie teaching about
various animals and how their coats assist them with living in the wild.
The children were able to pet and interact with live animals, learned
about their habitats and where they came from.
After lunch, children received goodie bags containing items donated by
member firms and sponsors. The Chapter also furnished books for the school’s
library. Each child participating will draw a picture and write a short
story regarding their experience which will be presented at the Chapter’s
December meeting.
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COLUMBUS
The Columbus Chapter raised $991 and received donations of $40 from Wal-Mart
and $90 from Toys R Us to purchase 22 new bicycles which were donated
to the Columbus Public Libraries as an incentive to children who finished
the summer reading program. The result was that 45% more children completed
the program this year compared to prior years. The approximate number
of children reached through this program is 10,000.
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CORPUS CHRISTI
Seventy-five Y-teens (10 and 11 year olds from the area's poorest schools
participating in the YWCA Family Outreach Program), along with 20 mothers
and 44 children, attended the Corpus Christi Chapter Reading Rally. Each
child selected 10-15 books to take home from the 3,000 donated or purchased
books. These books were for themselves and their siblings at home. Other
activities included a photo shoot, making a hand-print banner, crafts,
karaoke and jazz dance. Everyone received an EWI T-shirt and a goodie
bag filled with personal items such as deodorant, toothbrushes/toothpaste,
dictionaries, word find books, pencils, hairbrushes and more. They also
enjoyed pizza and cake. The Y-teens received special permission to wear
their shirts to school instead of uniform shirts and the mothers wore
theirs to regular meetings all year. .
Mentors for the “Y” were a female engineer, dean of early
childhood at a university, actress, library official, female Navy pilot
and Tex AVMCC girl’s basketball team. Mentors also encouraged mothers
to overcome adversity, continue education and the importance of reading
to their children.
The county has a lot of poverty, 70% Hispanic population, high drop-out
rates and teen pregnancy. Sam’s Club donated $1,000 and Chapter
members and firms donated another $1,100 to support the Reading Rally.
The Corpus Christi Chapter was one of the recipients of the 2004 Annual
Star Award from the Volunteer Center of the Coastal Bend for Business
Volunteer Group. Bam Benning, representing the Chapter, accepted the award.
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DALLAS
The Notre Dame School of Dallas is a school dedicated to the education
of mentally challenged children. The goal of the school is to help students
develop their abilities and enable them to live as fully and independently
as possible. The Reading Rally was held at the school on October 16th.
The Dallas Chapter revitalized a multi-use room and purchased career-related
books that would help students transition into the community as independent
and contributing adults. The Chapter also contributed used books obtained
from the Half-Price Bookstore overflow.
The event began with an action learning session “We Can Be Anything
We Want to Be”, whereby students selected a package with props and
information about a particular job, discussed it with a volunteer and
partner, and presented the information to the group. Their presentation
included information about reading and its importance in job functions.
Afterwards, the group went to the “Reading Room” for a dedication
ceremony and the principal, Theresa Francis, read a story from one of
the new books.
The morning ended with ice-cream sundaes for everyone while images of
the students were shown on a screen. Tina Ho, Committee Chairman, had
taken digital photos of the students throughout the morning and the students
were thrilled to see themselves on the screen. Goodie bags, containing
items contributed from generous member firms, were distributed to the
students. Special guests included Dr. Reinhard and Elizabeth Gradl and
Kevin and Linda Rush with Celanese Chemicals, and Mrs. Walter Theiss with
Southwestern Bell Communications.
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DENVER
At Barrett Elementary approximately 200 students and 20 volunteers and
teachers, all wearing Reading Rally T-shirts with the new logo, enjoyed
the Denver Chapter Reading Rally. The theme for this year’s event
was “Pigs”. Local author Kerry MacLean loves to write about
little pink pigs. Each student received a copy of her book “Pigs
Over Denver” and she read from her newest book, “Peaceful
Piggy Meditation”. Two actors from the Denver Center for the Performing
Arts (Hilary Blair and David Saphier) got the kids up and moving. Treats
were pink “pig” cookies and ice cream and pink “pig”
paper bag puppets as well as “pig” riddles for the older kids.
Member firm Wells Fargo donated $1,734 for books, and representatives
donated cookies, ice cream and puppets.
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DES MOINES
Seven Des Moines Chapter members went to the Youth Emergency Services
and Shelter on October 30th and assisted 9 children (ages 3-16) in making
books. Together they created pages and a cover which were bound. After
snacks chapter members read to the younger children and the older children
demonstrated drawing skills. The Des Moines Chapter members plan to visit
the shelter two more times this year to present literacy programs.
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DETROIT/WINDSOR
The Chapter held two events; one in Windsor and one in Detroit. On Tuesday,
October 19th, 1st and 2nd graders from Dougall School gathered at the
Windsor Public Library. The children followed a flute player to the auditorium,
and were read stories and sang songs. A storyteller told an interactive
story which involved the children in the story. They also made bookmarks
with donated craft items. The library and Chapter donated many books,
crayons, T-shirts and snacks.
In Detroit on Saturday, October 23, a bus transported children and parents
from Maybury to the Wayne County Community District. A guest volunteer
made animal balloons for the children. “Arthur” from Detroit
Public TV was there and the children had their pictures taken, enjoyed
a puppet show, did Halloween coloring crafts and were read to by a volunteer.
Sponsors provided pizza, notepads, snacks, toys, candy, books and bags.
Approximately 150 children enjoyed the Reading Rally along with 30 volunteers.
Parents attending were very impressed.
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