DEPTFORD TWP. — Volunteer Center of South Jersey, has announced plans to host a volunteer reading event supporting Read Across the Globe, an initiative that brings the power of volunteers together to impact literacy in our communities. Read Across the Globe is a one-day reading event that will be held on Monday, Oct. 19 to raise awareness of the worldwide literacy crisis. Working...
DEPTFORD TWP. -- Volunteer Center of South Jersey, has announced plans to host a volunteer reading event supporting Read Across the Globe, an initiative that brings the power of volunteers together to impact literacy in our communities.
Read Across the Globe is a one-day reading event that will be held on Monday, Oct. 19 to raise awareness of the worldwide literacy crisis. Working with volunteers, educators, and partners in every time zone, we'll read to children around the globe to shine a light on literacy.
The Volunteer Center will distribute books to all of the participating schools and libraries. The book chosen by the Points of Light and the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation in Houston, "Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table," written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and illustrated by Eric-Shabazz Larkin, surprisingly enough, is perfectly suited for the K-12 audience. "Our district is thrilled with the selection of the book," says Violeta Katsikis, district supervisor of curriculum and instruction for Cherry Hill Public Schools. Katsikis continues, "The story highlights a sense of community, the power that one person can make a change, themes of hope, diversity, creativity and the list goes on."
VCSJ will work with site "champions" to coordinate the event, which will include reading room for students and volunteers to fill the positions of readers, witnesses and timekeepers and other Guinness World Book guidelines. Schools and library branches across New Jersey including Cherry Hill Township Elementary, Middle and High Schools, Monongahela Middle School (Deptford) and the Gloucester County Library System (Mullica Hill and Logan Branches), have signed up for the event.
"We are so excited to be able to coordinate this event in South Jersey, it gives us the opportunity to promote literacy and volunteerism, in one event," says VCSJ Executive Director Michele Epifani. She continues, "The uniqueness of this event is that it connects the community directly to the literacy issue and proves that reading to children, teens and adults will encourages them to read."
Volunteer Opportunities for this event will be posted, in the upcoming weeks, at VCSJ's online volunteer match site sjvolunteers.fundlyconnect.com/. VCSJ invites other interested schools and libraries across New Jersey to join this exciting global event. For more information contact Michele Epifani by email at mepifani@sjvolunteers.org.
