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HOLIDAY CARDS ARE HERE!
For the first time ever, MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS is offering holiday and all-purpose note cards to benefit the organization. A limited number of cards (in quantities of 10) are available on a first-come-first-serve basis.
  | | Allan Custer, age 10, from Kindercare (Irvington), won top honors in the Summer Reading Buddies Kids' Art Contest. His art is featured on the note card shown above. |
Other Contest Winners
 | | Max Grover was kind enough to allow MWFB to use this artwork (above) for the organization's first holiday card. |
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Kids' Art Contest Winners | |
YOUNG ARTISTS AT WORK
A great big thank you to all of the children who participated in the Summer Reading Buddies Kids' Art contest. All of the children's art was so wonderful that it was hard to choose winners. In addition to Allan Custer, 10, (whose art is featured on the note card), three other Big Buddies (art below) received grand prize gift bags from Bookmans.
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Navaeh Rosales, 7, Kids First Preschool |
 | | Cayla Mischler, 8, Outer Limits School |
 | | Paige Lind, 11, Kids First Preschool |
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Inspirational Video | |
CHILDREN WITH EARLY LITERACY VS. THOSE WITHOUT
If you need a little inspiration, a reminder of why we do what we do, watch this video! |
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Family Read Aloud Night |
FREE, FUN & EDUCATIONAL, TOO Bring the family for read-aloud theater, singing and dancing, free books, early literacy tips for parents, and more.
Nov. 10 (Wednesday)
6 to 7:30 p.m.
SUSD Early Childhood Center
52 W. Calle de las Tiendas
Green Valley Nov. 18 (Thursday) 6 to 7:30 p.m. Martha Cooper Library Branch 1377 N. Catalina Ave.
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Summer Reading Buddies |
KUDOS TO THE WHOLE TEAM
"Flying High with a Good Book," the 2010 Summer Reading Buddies program, was all fun and games, and a success on all counts. About 240 Big Buddies, students in elementary school, read with 300 preschool Little Buddies weekly. The older students kept up their reading skills over the break, and the Little Buddies expanded their reading readiness skills.
"As with all your programs, it was well-organized, carried out with enthusiastic people, fun for everyone, and a great learning experience," said Sharon Pittman, director of Small World II Preschool.
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Ask an Expert |
TEACHING TOLERANCE THROUGH PICTURE BOOKS
Read aloud time with children can be used not only to foster reading readiness skills, but also to reinforce values of peace. The newest Ask an Expert column at readtomearizona.org provides some great ideas to help parents teach the importance of working together, sharing, and accepting one another's differences.
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In Their Own Words |
WHY WE SUPPORT MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS
"We support MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS because it is a family oriented literacy program. By educating teachers, parents, and preschoolers about the importance of reading together at an early age, at-risk, low-income children can become school ready by the time they enter kindergarten. MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS is a win-win program for donors and recipients. We all benefit in the long run when children are literate."
Debbie and Ric Scripps
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Special Appreciation |
THANK YOU $500 Plus Donors & $200 Plus Honorary Gifts
Journal Broadcast Group
$100,000 Value In-Kind
Side by Side Foundation
$10,000
Cox Charities
$3,500
Allegra Print and Imaging
$2,500 In-Kind
Target Charitable Contributions
$2,000
Alphagrahics
$500 In-Kind
Stewart, Jennifer J. and Bruce
$500
In honor of Jennifer J. Stewart
Gap Foundation
$250 Money for Time Program
Stone Canyon Book Club $200
In honor of Cathy Earnest
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Annual Volunteer Gathering | |
SPOOKTACULAR TRICKS & TREATS
For Storytime Volunteers
Oct. 28 (Thursday)
5:30 to 6 p.m: Optional Workshop
6 to 7 p.m: Potluck Dinner
MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS
3955 E. Fort Lowell Road
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Volunteer Birthdays | |
HAPPY BIRTHDAY STORYTIME VOLUNTEERS 
Diane Altieri--Oct. 18 Rose Ann Essig--Oct. 21 Mary Roberts--Oct. 27 Liz Harrison--Nov. 2 Nora May--Nov. 4 Dee Ann Sakrison--Dec. 16 |
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Greetings!
Story Town is only a few weeks away, and fall is definitely in the air. The MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS team is busier than ever distributing books, presenting Family Read Aloud Nights, launching the Picture Book Peace Project, and gearing up for Story Town, of course.
Local Businesses Stepping Up
As with any nonprofit organization these days, fundraising efforts have their ups and downs. At a time when many businesses are facing cutbacks of their own, some are still finding ways to support local nonprofits, and we very much appreciate their efforts. Please read about our generous funders in the Story Town and Thank You sections of the newsletter.
Unfortunately, we were not awarded a City of Tucson contract this year. While this is not a total surprise given the condition of the city budget, it is one less continuous funding stream that we have counted on for the last three years.
Arizona Poverty Rising
You may have read in the newspaper that Arizona has the second highest poverty rate in the country. This includes a quarter, or 400,000, of our state's children. Low-income families are often unable to provide the early experiences necessary for young children to arrive in kindergarten ready to be successful. The programs and services provided by MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS are needed now more than ever.
No on 302
Remember a "No" vote on Proposition 302 will keep First Things First intact. First Things First funds many of the state's early childhood development services, including some of MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS' preschool programs.
We can't thank all of our supporters and devoted volunteers enough for what you do for the most vulnerable children in our community.
Sincerely,
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Time for STORY TOWN! |
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: SATURDAY, NOV. 6
FREE Story Town Family Literacy Festival 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jácome Plaza (Stone and Pennington in front of the Main Library) Five Shows Featuring POPULAR CHILDREN'S BOOKS
Llama Llama Leading Parade of
LARGER-THAN-LIFE CHARACTERS
Culturally Explosive
MUSIC & DANCE
Fun Family Read-Aloud Workshops in
NEW BOOK NOOK
Engaging
GAMES & CRAFT-MAKING
Everyone Takes Home
FREE BOOKS
A very special thank you to this year's Story Town sponsors: Cox Charities, Friends of the Pima County Public Library, Target, Altrusa, MIXfm and KGUN9 (Journal Broadcast Group), Bookmans, Read to Me, Arizona!, AlphaGrahics, and the Jim Click Family Foundation.
More Story Town Information
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Peace Project in Full Swing | |
PICTURE BOOK PEACE MODEL
HEADS FOR THE CLASSROOM
Books have been chosen, curriculum has been developed, and teacher workshops and family events are under way for preschools and kindergarten classrooms in the Sunnyside Unified School District Literacy Zone.  | | Teachers from the Sunnyside School District Literacy Zone "work it out" at the first ever Promoting Peace Through Picture Books workshop. |
 | | Children with their parents at a recent Family Read Aloud Night at the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center get a fun lesson in learning to share from "A Splendid Friend Indeed." |
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Books, Books, and More Books |
HANDING OUT HOPE
Making sure young children have books in their lives and adults who read to them is a big part of what MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS does in the community. In the last year alone, MWFB has distributed more than 25,000 books to families and child-care centers.
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Children at Small World II choose their favorite books to take home and keep for their parents to read to them. |
 | | About 20 babies and toddlers discovered new books while their parents learned the best ways to read aloud to their children during a recent Teen Outreach Pregnancy Services Parenting Class. |
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Volunteers at the Heart of Matters | |
BOOK DRIVES MAKE FOR MORE FREE BOOKS
Book Drives are on the rise this fall as the community helps keep the Read to Me, Arizona! Blue Book Houses well stocked. Retiring 20-year preschool teacher Amanda Walker donated her entire classroom collection of 616 wonderful titles. The Flowing Wells High School Choral Union Group collected 380 gently used books. And the Tucson-Old Pueblo Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators collected 237 books during its annual charity drive (plus donated $375!).
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Members of the Flowing Wells High School Choral Union Group know all too well how important community support is to their programs, and they understand the difference early education has made in their lives. So they decided to give back to the community and collected 380 gently used books for the Blue Book Houses. |
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ALL IN A DAY'S WORK
Several United Way Days of Caring volunteers showed their commitment to Tucson's children and early literacy when they devoted a Saturday in September to MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS. Days of Caring is an 80-year-old, national program that matches employees from local businesses with schools and organizations to help complete much-needed projects.
 | | Arizona Canning and GEICO employees prepare early literacy kits for the MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS for Babies Program. |
 | | Days of Caring volunteers paint giant children's book covers for the upcoming Story Town family Literacy Festival. |
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MWFB in the News | |
KGUN9 FEATURES STORYTIME AT WINGS ON WORDS
Volunteer Audrey Cione and her MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS Storytime group at Wings on Words were real troupers as cameras for KGUN9 shot the MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS public service announcement, being aired on Journal Broadcast stations during October. Thank you Audrey, Wings on Words, and Journal Broadcast Group.
Journal Broadcast Group puts its television and radio stations to work for a different non-profit each month, and MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS was chosen for October.
"Many charity groups and non-profit agencies...do great work in our community, but it often goes unnoticed, even by those who might benefit from the services," said Bobby Rich, Director of the Journal Community Partner Program.
Journal Broadcast Group television stations featured the Storytime group, and television and radio aired interviews with MWFB Executive Director Mary Jan Bancroft. You can still catch the fun Story Town preview video on the Morning Blend website.
"This program has tremendous value," said Dr. Bancroft, adding, "Working with Journal Broadcast Group has been a wonderful experience, and we are grateful for all the help getting the word out about early literacy."
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Oct. 27, 2010 
