Dear friends of Open Books, 

Whether it is at a volunteer orientation, an outreach event, or simply during a lively conversation with a friend or colleague, we at Open Books often bring some of the scarier statistics to light when discussing the scope of the literacy crisis. Recent studies have given us a clearer picture of how our students are faring. Now that we know more about what is going on in the classroom, what can we say about the possible solutions? Take a look at today's volunteering and service scene; you might just be surprised.

Read on to see where we stand, and how the work you do now will impact the volunteer force of the future.

Ava Zeligson

Volunteer Manager

 Where We Stand: The State of Volunteering

Last year, Open Books' volunteers collectively put in 16,000 hours of service. Pretty incredible! According to the Corporation for National and Community Service's most recent Volunteering in America report, that's 16,000 out of a total 8.1 billion hours logged across the country last year. Have you seen the report? How about the beautiful infographic they whipped up? There is a wealth of information posted, and you can easily navigate the site and export data to focus on what interests you.

Well, Chicago is what interests us. With such a strong volunteer community at Open Books, we were eager to find Illinois and Chicago's rankings. Of 50 states and Washington, DC, Illinois ranks 28^th in terms of volunteer hours per resident, while Chicago pulls in 33^rd out of 51 large cities. Not quite what you were hoping? We hear you.  CNCS offers some explanation, though. Among the factors that can influence volunteer rates in a certain region, poverty (20.8%) and unemployment rates (Chicago's metropolitan division saw the largest increase over the last year, now sitting at 10.4%), as well as education levels (9.5% of high school students drop out each year) all play a key role in determining the likelihood that a citizen will become involved in their community as a volunteer. It stands to reason then, that in addition to continuing the amazing volunteer work you do and encouraging those in your network to get involved, the actual service itself that you are providing -- giving Chicago's students an improved chance at success -- can help move our city up that ranking list in the years to come (and maybe even push some of those gloomier rates down a bit in the long run).

We'll check back in when a new set of numbers comes around to see how we all do. In the meantime, thank you for being a part of the solution!

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Book Your Trip: Revelry 2011!

Unable to make the trip? Consider purchasing $10 raffle tickets to support the cause! Find more info on the Revelry Raffle here.

Vol-Star: Rachel Zahorsky 

Rachel Zahorsky has been an absolute vol-star as a VWrite mentor this fall, and it is my pleasure to tell you why!

 

Rachel stayed in close contact as we planned for this fall's session of VWrite at Gage Park High School, and as soon as we got the last details set, Rachel hit the ground running. Just before we began, she also did some last-minute outreach to spread the word about the VWrite program to her network.

 

After hitting a few bumps in getting in touch with her VWrite student, Nyamca, and calling to hear that she was not at home, Rachel realized that the voice on the other end of the line belonged to Nyamca's mother. She took the opportunity to reach out to her and the two women had a lengthy and productive discussion of how to best support Nyamca and keep her motivated. What Rachel did next is just as important. After this success, she wrote to her fellow VWrite volunteer mentors and shared the news, encouraging them to seize the same opportunity if they got the chance. In a program like VWrite that largely takes place remotely, having our volunteers share stories of success and pieces of advice and encouragement is invaluable, and we are so grateful to Rachel for taking that initiative!

 

Now, see what else Rachel has to share read on to better know this vol-star!