| Support Reach Out and Read in Washington | |
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Greetings!
It is a joy to have some sunshine in Seattle, at long last! As you sneak in those final days of summer, we hope you have time to relax with a good book.
Our family trip this summer brought an unexpected reminder of the amazing power of reading--as we visited the (very hot!) "land of Lincoln." It was an awesome experience to visit the home where Abraham Lincoln and his family lived for 25 years in Springfield, IL before moving to the White House. It was amazing to see the room where he stretched out on the floor and read, while his children played around him. We also enjoyed the reconstructed town of New Salem where he lived as a young man, and devoured every newspaper that came through when he served as postmaster. We learned how he constantly read books to educate himself, and that this made people think he was lazy! It was wonderful to be with our kids as we were reinspired around the idea that reading, now and in the past, help shapes a future president. I can't begin to describe the feelings invoked by all of this, particularly when we ended our time there by visiting his tomb. Each summer we are awestruck by the wonders of our national park system, and thankful we can visit them.
In this month's newsletter we share stories from Whatcom and Lewis counties, an MSNBC segment, and an early learning leadership opportunity. We are always looking for ways to work together to help children across Washington state be ready for success in school and life. Please keep in touch!
With appreciation,
Jill Sells MD and The Reach Out and Read Washington State Team
....because Reading Is Doctor-Recommended |
| HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES ATTEND CENTRALIA READ AND ROMP | | |
Reach Out and Read at Northwest Pediatric Center brings community together to celebrate the joy of reading. Families from all around came to Centralia on July 23rd for Read and Romp, a free family event. Supported by many early learning and other community partners, the 2nd annual event was presented by the Reach Out and Read Program at Northwest Pediatric Center in Centralia, Chehalis and Rochester. Families gathered at Washington Park to join Clifford the Big Red Dog and Little Critter, while they visited stations with storybook themes. According to Reach Out and Read pediatrician champion Dr. Lily Lo, nearly 600 children attended this yearīs festival. Some favorite activities were having childrenīs names written in Chinese calligraphy at the Tikki Tikki Tembo station, having their portraits drawn with Harold and the Purple Crayon, and twisting balloons into animals at Balloonology. Read about the activities here, and plan your own community event!
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| REACH OUT AND READ STRIVES TO SERVE MORE CHILDREN IN WHATCOM COUNTY | | |
 Road trip to Whatcom County shows 'stages' of community growth.
We recently visited 3 Whatcom County medical clinics at different stages of their journey with Reach Out and Read.
Our first stop was Interfaith Community Health Center in Bellingham. The medical providers at Interfaith recently completed the training to start their new Reach Out and Read program and just received their first shipment of books! We are very excited to have them come on board and begin sharing books and literacy advice with the families they serve.
Next we headed to the Lummi Tribal Health Clinic. The Lummi Nation has been participating in Reach Out and Read since late 2009. It was a pleasure to meet with their medical providers and staff--all of whom are excited about and actively supporting the program! Nurse Practitioner Robert Desmond says the program is making a real difference, and families love it. Many children come in for their checkup, and immediately ask for their book! We were honored with the gift of a beautiful picture called "Child Support" by Lummi Nation Artist Gary Julius (see photo). The Lummi Clinic is one of 15 tribal Reach Out and Read programs in Washington state.
Our last stop was at PeaceHealth Medical Group's Pediatric Clinic in Bellingham. Through the advocacy of Dr. Duska McClung, PeaceHealth has applied and been approved to become a Reach Out and Read program. They are currently "wait-listed" until funding is secured to support the books they need to participate. A very large practice, their Reach Out and Read program would serve more than 3,500 young patients and their families each year! All that is needed is the books....
We are grateful to the all of the medical providers and staff we met while visiting Whatcom County. It is exciting to spend time with those who have made Reach Out and Read a part of what they do every day and with those who are just beginning (or hoping to begin!) their Reach Out and Read programs. We look forward to visiting our other Whatcom programs at Sea Mar Community Health Centers (in Bellingham and Everson) and at the Nooksack Tribal Clinic soon. Through partnerships, we hope that more children and families in Whatcom County and across the state will begin participating in Reach Out and Read. Contact our office if you want to help!
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REACH OUT AND READ CEO FEATURED ON MSNBC | |
 "NewsNation" with Tamron Hall spoke with national Reach Out and Read CEO Earl Martin Phalen about Reach Out and Read during a segment on Education in the Community. Reach Out and Read is part of a national effort to support school readiness. Watch the segment.
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EARLY LEARNING FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY OPENS | |
New program supports community-based leadership, connected with the state early learning plan. The Foundation for Early Learning is recruiting ten fellows for the 2011 Early Learning Fellows Program. This one year fellowship will support emerging early learning leaders in developing their leadership skills and designing and implementing a project that benefits their community's young children and their families. Fellows will receive leadership training and support as well as a $2,000 stipend to carry out an early learning project. Applications are due September 6th!
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HELP PUT BOOKS IN THE HANDS OF CHILDREN | | |
Support Reach Out and Read while you shop, or make a donation.
 If you shop at Amazon.com, a portion of your purchase can support us. Simply go to www.reachoutandreadwa.org and click on the Amazon.com logo on the left bottom corner of the page to begin your shopping. If you click through and make a purchase, at least 4% will go directly to Reach Out and Read in Washington! This is an ongoing partnership for us, so please share this opportunity with your friends and family.
Please consider also making a direct tax-deductible donation to Reach Out and Read: Donate on Line.Just $5 can help place a beautiful book where it belongs, in a child's home. |
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REACH OUT AND READ WASHINGTON ON FACEBOOK | | |
Reach Out and Read Washington State is on Facebook. Please LIKE us. If you could also suggest our Facebook page to your friends, that would go a long way in helping us spread our message about early literacy - thanks! |
| ABOUT REACH OUT AND READ WASHINGTON STATE | |
Reach Out and Read helps prepare children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. Our evidence-based, proven program leverages the volunteer time of doctors to make literacy a standard part of well-child visits. Reach Out and Read supports parents as their child's first teacher. Through 125 programs in 28 counties, over 800 medical providers serve more than 68,000 children and families.
Founded in 2007, Reach Out and Read Washington State supports programs across the state. We are part of the national, evidence-based Reach Out and Read Program, founded in 1989.
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