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Love of Reading Challenge |
 | | Love of Reading Challenge 2011 brought out the best in all the children's favorite characters. |
THEY ALL MADE IT!
Each February, Love of Reading Month, MWFB encourages teachers to read five books a day to their students for a week. This year 31 centers, 107 classrooms all together, took the challenge and met the goal! See all the preschools and centers that participated and won prizes!
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In Their Own Words | |
READING TO BABIES: THE WONDER OF IT ALL
Students in the Sunnyside Unified School District's Teenage Parent Program (TAPP) often "come into the Infant Center thinking that reading to their children, since babies cannot even talk, is just a waste of time."
"By the time the parents graduate from high school, they get it. They have books in their diaper bags and books at home. They get excited when the children begin to mimic them and language skills unfold."
Barbara McDonald, director,
TAPP program
 | | Like this baby boy, one of the favorite pastimes of children at the Sunnyside Infant Center is 'mock' reading to one another. |
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Ben's Bells and Books |
KINDNESS TOLLS AT MWFB
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The wind chimes randomly appear, dangling from street signs, playground equipment, and, on a particularly beautiful March day, in a certain MWFB tree. The chimes sounded a simple yet powerful message: Be kind. |
MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS has been graced with not one but two Ben's Bells.
The BENevolent Brigade appeared in February with the special wind chimes and boxes of books that had been donated by Greenfield Country Day School. The BENevolent Brigade is an offshoot of Ben's Bells that supports local non-profit organizations by donating needed items.
Then in March, Mary Jan Bancroft, MWFB executive director, spied a Ben's Bell hanging from a tree outside the MWFB offices on her way in to work.
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Ask an Expert |
A PRE-READER'S JOURNEY TO KINDERGARTEN
Ever wonder where your child is on the early literacy spectrum? The newest Ask an Expert column at readtomearizona.org provides some general benchmarks for development of langauge and reading-readiness skills.
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Family Read Aloud Events |
FREE, FUN & EDUCATIONAL, TOO
Bring the family for read-aloud theater, singing and dancing, free books, early literacy tips for parents, and more. May 10, Tuesday 3-4:30 p.m. Sopori Elementary School 5000 W. Arivaca Road Amado, AZ May 12, Thursday 6-7:30 p.m. Ili Uusim Mahtawapo Head Start 5060 W. Calle Tetakusim Tucson, AZ June 6, Monday 6-7:30 p.m. New Life Day Care Center 330 W. Nebraska St. Tucson, AZ June 15, Wednesday 6-7:30 p.m. Three Points Child Care center 15530 W. Ajo Way Three Points, AZ |
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Storytime Volunteers | |
WELCOME
Charl Maynard
&
Rhoda Babis
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Pat Mackey--April 3
Abby Blake--April 22
Maureen Bike--April 23
Liz Benham--April 25
Cheryl Ridgley--May 13
Judy Parker--June 14
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 Special Appreciation |
THANK YOU $200 Plus Donations
(Received Jan. 1--March 31, 2011)
Individuals John and Georgia Bancroft In honor of Paul and Mary Jan Bancroft Wayne Peate and Lynn Struthers-Peate Grants
Art for Moore Fund of Tides Foundation ($2,000) First Things First ($67,706) Jim Click Nissan ($250) Libraries Limited Inc. ($1,000) Stocker Foundation ($15,000) United Way ($37,103) (Please note: Open House supporters will be listed in the Summer newsletter.)
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Greetings!
I am thrilled to share with you some of the news from the last few months.
Program director Emily Phy reports that during the last quarter, families checked out 4,700 quality books at 28 of our preschools and child-care centers to take home and read aloud to their children. Hooray! That's an incredible number of opportunities to help young children gain early literacy skills.
Our Storytime volunteers are enjoying reading to the preschoolers and coming to the office to choose books and puppets. We enjoy their visits, too!
One of our newest volunteers said, "Picking out books is like Christmas for me!"
These wonderful people are taking time out of their busy lives to share their love of books and reading with children who need it the most. My sincere thank you to each of you.
The Picture Books Peace Project has been met with excitement and appreciation among teachers in the first 16 centers and home care sites to participate in the program. Our goal at MWFB is to put the Peace Project in as many preschools, child-care centers and homes in Tucson as possible.
One teacher who attended the "Promoting Peace Through Picture Books" professional development workshop said, "The topic of peace is so needed in our community. Thank you very, very much for developing this curriculum."
These accomplishments, and many more, would not be possible without our remarkable staff. They are deeply devoted to the mission of MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS and work tirelessly each and every day. MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS truly has a dream team.
I will end by expressing my gratitude to our growing number of ongoing supporters. Without you, of course, MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS would not exist. Every time you make a donation, you are helping us have a larger impact on young children's lives. Probably my least favorite part of being executive director is asking for money. But I am learning that fundraising is about giving people the opportunity to join our team and help make a bigger difference in our community.
I hope you enjoy the spring newsletter and the beautiful spring weather!
Sincerely,
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Open House Honors MWFB Friends |
GIFFORDS STAFFER CHAMPIONS PEACE PROJECT
Open House special guest Pam Simon, community coordinator for U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords and survivor of the January 8 mass shooting, commended MWFB volunteers and supporters and championed the Picture Book Peace Project.
Simon shared with guests at the May 31 event her early literacy experiences and how a favorite aunt had brought books alive by asking questions about stories they were reading together. The former school teacher commended Storytime volunteers for knowing that early literacy is not just about reading books aloud, that it's about engaging children in the read-aloud process and piquing their curiosity.
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| | Pam Simon (right) presents MWFB with a copy of President's Barack Obama's children's book "of Thee I Sing, A Letter to My Daughters." Politics aside, the picture book is highly recommended by parents and educators alike as an inspiring story that pays tribute to the courage and diversity of American heroes across time. |
Simon carries a bullet in her hip as a constant reminder of the shooting, She has said that she harbors no ill will toward the shooter, but she knows all too well how important it is to teach children concepts of peace beginning when they are very young.
Simon not only spoke to the crowd of about 90 MWFB supporters, but also conducted an interview with media representatives. A short segment about the Peace Project aired on Fox 11 News. A Peace Project video that was shown at the Open House is available online as well.
Mary Jan Bancroft, MWFB founder and executive director, recognized several volunteers for their steadfast service to young children.
"Volunteers and donors are the reason MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS can help so many of Tucson's children get a good start and succeed in life,"said Bancroft. "We are grateful to all of our friends, and appreciate every minute you have volunteered and every dollar you have donated."
To support the Peace Project and MWFB early literacy programs, visit the secure MWFB online donation page.
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Volunteers at the Heart of Matters | |
THAT'S A LOT OF BOOKS READ!
The recent Open House honored nearly 50 volunteers, including a few who have been with MWFB since just after the organization opened its doors.
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| | Wayne Peate (left), and Brenda and Bill Viner look on as Mary Jan Bancroft (right) congratulates Pat Mackey for being the longest-running Storytime volunteer. |
Pat Mackey and Maureen Bike started volunteering 12 years ago, the year MWFB first held weekly Storytime in preschools and child-care centers. Sheila Wolf has been reading for 11 years, and Marie Graninger is in her 10th year.
Dee Ann Sakrison has volunteered as a Storytime volunteer for nine years and now also serves on the Board of Directors. Sue Smith has been conducting Storytimes for eight years. Marsha Schull, Cheryl Ridgely and John Ross have all passed seven years. And at the five-year mark are Jennie Merkle, Liz Harrison, and Arthur Goldberg.
 | Arthur Goldberg, aka 'the Wide-mouthed Frog,' receives his five-year Storyteller award.
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| | Jennie Merkle also hits the five-year mark! |
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Thirteen Storytime volunteers celebrated one- or two-year anniversaries, and 11 volunteers have joined in the last year.
Thanks to all the volunteers, MWFB Storytimes are now in 40 preschools and child-care centers.
While Storytime is the core of the MWFB volunteer program, many volunteers wear numerous hats, stepping in wherever they are needed--from packing baby kits and processing books for child-care libraries to preparing activities for Summer Reading Buddies and staffing events.
As such, 12 volunteers were recognized for their tireless support of MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS family literacy events and programs, such as Story Town, Family Read Aloud Nights, and Summer Reading Buddies.
If you are interested in joining this special group of people, call 520-721-2334 to learn about volunteer opportunities.
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Staff Updates |
AND THE WINNER IS...
 | | This is what we call a fearless leader! Mary Jan Bancroft (top left) went all out to take first place in the first annual MWFB Ugly Outfit contest. |
NEWEST MEMBERS ADD ZEST, EXPERTISE
MWFB's newest staff member, Agnes Maina (second from right in photo above), is majoring in accounting at the University of Arizona. As office assistant, she is a tremendous help with bookkeeping and donor tracking.
"Agnes is from Kenya and has a handsome little boy named Jayden," said executive director Mary Jan Bancroft. "I have not yet met her husband, but I am sure he is handsome as well!"
MWFB is also very fortunate to have intern Monica Farmer (third from right in photo above). She has a master's degree in library science and has truly mastered the art of cataloging books in the MWFB computer program.
"Monica volunteers to help out with as many activities as she can, and we all greatly appreciate her," said Bancroft.
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May 3, 2011 
