High School Volunteers A Big Part Of Summer Team

A special thank you to all our high school volunteers, including Liam, Emelia, and Maypaz.

Our high school students volunteers do lots of heavy lifting as they sort through tens of thousands of books, and help us box them and transport them to our warehouse.

Without these great volunteers our work would not be possible.

Red Lake Nation College To Get $14,000 Worth Of Basic Mathematics Textbooks

Reader to Reader is pleased to announce that Red Lake Nation College in Red Lake, Minnesota will receive $14,000 worth of the college-level textbook, Basic Mathematics.

The brand-new textbooks are being made available for donation by the author, Steve Slavin.

“This is a tremendous resource and we will also be giving out thousands more of these excellent textbooks to colleges and high schools across the U.S. and overseas,” David Mazor, founding executive director of Reader to Reader, says. “We thank professor Slavin for his extraordinary generosity.”

Professor Slavin made similar donations in 2008 and 2009.

Reader to Reader helps charge up Holyoke's innovative Summer of Power

On July 8th, 22 Reader to Reader mentors started working with students at Holyoke Public Schools' groundbreaking summer academy called the ELL Summer of Power.

Combining academic discussions, project workshops, and afternoon internships and jobs, the ELL Summer of Power is providing a unique opportunity for English language learners.

Organizers chose Reader to Reader to implement the academic discussion piece, and Reader to Reader brought in college-age mentors from neighboring colleges and universities to work with the students on books like Call Me Maria, by Judith Ortiz Cofer; Mexican Whiteboy, by Matt de la Pena; and The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano, by Sonia Manzano. One group is reading (and staging scenes from) Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

Working with certified ELL teachers, the mentors lead small groups in developing skills that help students to read and talk about books successfully in a classroom setting.

We are truly excited to be working with Holyoke Public Schools on an empowering program that can truly serve as a model for other districts.

Beyond el Campo Team Spends Summer in Costa Rica

This summer, a team of six volunteers have been on the ground in Costa Rica working on Reader to Reader's Beyond el Campo project to provide support for the growing public library and community outreach programs in the village of Santa Cruz de Leon Cortes.

After touching down in San Jose and doing some exploring in Heredia, they were ready to head to Santa Cruz and get to work!

The library Beyond el Campo built four years ago is running smoothly, and the volunteers have come up with some new and exciting projects and programs to implement during the summer ahead. These projects include:

• Improving the library’s facilities and aesthetics through painting, design, murals and the creation of creative and comfortable spaces for crafts, reading, studying, and leisure;
• Holding community events to engage and educate more of the community in the library and its many available services;
• Teaching English classes to community members;
• Engaging children and youth in summer learning activities to prevent summer learning loss;
• Creating new programs and offerings in the library that appeal to all ages, especially the elderly;
• Setting up the two new secured laptops in a computer lab, with wireless internet and technology workshops;
• And so much more!

The trip is ongoing, so stay tuned for more updates.

About Beyond el Campo

Beyond el Campo, a project of Reader to Reader's Springboard Program, seeks to combat the issue of educational inequality in Costa Rica by providing essential tools and educational resources to inspire success. Its goals are to provide a public space that serves as a community center for learning and creative engagement; to equip that space with resources that connect students with their own passions and interests; and to offer educational programs and workshops open to the entire community.

Giving Away Books At Family Fun Night

Reader to Reade gave out hundreds of free books at Family Fun Night in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

The book giveaway was part of an effort to spur reading during the summer vacation period.

Combating summer learning loss is critical, because studies have shown that summer learning loss can set back low-income students more than two months in reading achievement. (Cooper, 1996)

The book giveaway is a part of Reader to Reader’s DiscoverBooks Program, which receives generous support from Mary Ann Cofrin and the AEC Trust, the Target Foundation, and the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation.

$69,000 in Basic Mathematics Textbooks Donated to Mississippi College

We are pleased to announce that Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi has received $69,000 worth of the college-level textbook, Basic Mathematics.

The brand-new textbooks are being made available for donation by the author, Steve Slavin.

“This is a tremendous resource and we will also be giving out thousands more of these excellent textbooks to colleges and high schools across the U.S. and overseas,” David Mazor, founding executive director of Reader to Reader, says. “We thank professor Slavin for his extraordinary generosity.”

Professor Slavin made similar donations in 2008 and 2009.