Submitted
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy
Community leaders and volunteers will join Black Press, Kootenay Savings Credit Union and the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy on Wednesday, October 7th to raise awareness about the importance of literacy and to celebrate the power literacy has in the Columbia Valley.
The 5th Annual Reach a Reader campaign will raise funds for the Columbia Valley’s community-based literacy programs.
Why literacy? Statistics indicate that up to 45 per cent of B.C.’s adult population has difficulty with some daily living tasks, due in part to limited literacy skills. These include reading a newspaper, filling out an application form, reading a map, or understanding a lease.
“Literacy is not just the ability to read or write. People today must be able to fill out online materials, service agreements, job applications, and use social media,” says Katie Andruschuk, Windermere Valley Community Literacy Co-ordinator. “Through our Reach a Reader campaign, we hope to increase awareness of literacy needs in our community and raise funds to support the literacy programs and services available for children, families, adults, and seniors.”
In the Columbia Valley, funds will help support the Guys Read program at Edgewater Elementary.
This popular program is an activity-filled lunch hour for boys in Grades 5 to 7 to enjoy facilitated reading, games, snacks, and hands-on creative projects.
This successful program usually has 100 per cent participation from the boys, but it is only possible through the Reach a Reader fundraising event. Delivered with materials and topics especially interesting for young male readers, Guys Read promotes a lifelong love of reading and learning.
You can support the Reach a Reader campaign by making a donation in exchange for a special edition of the The Valley Echo on Wednesday, October 7th. Volunteers will be on the street with papers in hand at Invermere Sobeys, Valley Foods, Home Hardware and Kootenay Savings Credit Union branches in Invermere and Radium between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. You may also donate online at cbal.org.
To learn more about community-based literacy programs from Canal Flats to Spillimacheen contact Katie Andruschuk, Windermere Valley’s Community Literacy Co-ordinator at wvcoordinator@cbal.org or go to cbal.org.
About Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy:
The Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy (CBAL) is a not-for-profit organization that develops, promotes and delivers literacy and essential skills services for people of all ages in the Columbia Basin and Boundary regions.
CBAL’s 16 Community Literacy Coordinators provide services in 77 communities, working with local literacy advisory committees to develop effective literacy programs and resources in the communities they serve.