Please join Tucson’s Literacy Movement for the 1st Annual Rally for Literacy!

When: Saturday, October 1st, 9 – 11 am

Where: Jácome Plaza at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library in Downtown Tucson, 101 N. Stone Avenue (directions) at the corner of Church Ave. & Alameda
Free parking in the library garage

What: Free, family-friendly event with live performances, hands-on activities, a book exchange, and the announcement of the new name for the merger of five literacy organizations!

In July 2011, five literacy organizations — the Literacy for Life Coalition, Literacy Volunteers of Tucson, Reach Out and Read Southern Arizona, Reading Seed, and Stories That Soar! — took a bold step and merged to become one strong organization dedicated to promoting a culture of literacy and creative expression throughout our community. Our new literacy organization was founded on the belief that by working together we can create the kind of community in which we all want to live. Please join the celebration as we unveil our new name and logo at the rally!

Activities include:
- Children’s activities & rally poster making
- Live performances by Stories That Soar!
- Interactive, all-ages Community Rhythm Jam with Kenya Masala
- Tucson Festival of Books check presentation
- Community book exchange
- The unveiling of the new name of our organization!!!

Show your support at the rally:
1. Participate – Put a group together from your neighborhood, organization, or business
2. Show our unity – Wear a plain, white t-shirt to show your support for literacy
3. Tell us what literacy means to you – Create & bring posters or make your own at the rally
4. Bring a book to exchange – Take a book to read

The community is also invited to a Pre-Rally Poster-Making Party on Thursday, September 29th, 5:30 – 7:00 pm at Literacy Volunteers of Tucson, 2850 E. Speedway Blvd. Please join Literacy Movement staff, volunteers, students, and supporters at a pre-rally party to create fun, personalized posters that show the community why you support literacy in Tucson. Refreshments and poster supplies will be provided, and everyone is welcome!

Please join us for a wonderful celebration of literacy and our community!

• Bookmans Ina, 3733 W. Ina Rd. (Ina & Thornydale)
  
• Bookmans Grant, 1930 E. Grant Rd. (Grant & Campbell)
  
• Bookmans Speedway, 6230 E. Speedway (Speedway & Wilmot)
  

Bookmans is open 7 days a week from 9 am till 10 pm. If you choose to pick up your new materials at Bookmans, please be sure to bring your Reading Seed name badge along with you – everything will be at the Customer Service desk.  While you’re there, please help us thank Bookmans for their continued generosity and support!

Many thanks to this year’s game underwriter, Pima Federal Credit Union, and to our wonderful prize sponsors – Tucson Padres, Bookmans, & eegee’s!

The 2011 Tucson Classics Car Show is right around the corner, and Rotary Club of Tucson is looking for volunteers to help with ticket presales at this year’s Oktoberfest. In the last four years, Reading Seed has received over $240,000 from this great annual event, and we would truly appreciate any support you can offer to help make this year more successful than ever!

Volunteers are needed to staff the tickets sales table on the following days:

• Thursday, September 29th, 5 – 10 pm
• Friday, September 30th, Noon – 11 pm
• Saturday, October 1st, 11 am – 11 pm
• Sunday, October 2nd, Noon – 6 pm

If you’d like to help out at Oktoberfest during any of these times, please email Dan Guare at dan@retire-well.com.

This year’s Car Show is on Saturday, October 22nd from 10 am to 4 pm at St. Gregory College Preparatory School. Volunteers are also needed for activities the day of the event. If you are interested in volunteering in the areas of beverage service, food court or tickets sales, please call Tamara at 798-0700 or email tmckinney@readingseed.org. We hope to see you there!

Tuesday, October 18^th, 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm at the Murphy-Wilmot Library, 530 N. Wilmot Rd (5th St. & Wilmot)

Wednesday, October 26^th, 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm in the  Community Room at Bookmans Grant, 1930 E. Grant Rd. (Grant & Campbell)

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Tamara McKinney at tmckinney@readingseed.org or call 798-0700. We hope to see you there!

When Caitlin, now 11, was a first grader at Cottonwood Elementary, she always looked forward to her weekly visit with her “reading buddy,” Reading Seed coach Mrs. McKissick.  As a young student, Caitlin struggled with reading and simply needed more support. Her reading coach made a significant difference in how she viewed time spent reading and school in general. “She felt like my personal teacher,” Caitlin explained.

Caitlin’s mom, Marcy, clearly remembers her daughter’s attachment to Mrs. McKissick. “Her reading buddy always made her feel special,” Marcy remarked, “never ostracized or weird. Caitlin talked about her all the time and it was clear they really bonded.” It is a testament to the Reading Seed method that Marcy also remembers Caitlin’s progress as a reader during that school year. Marcy explained, “When they started, she’d read a sentence, then Caitlin would read a sentence. Then they got to a place where she’d read a whole page and Caitlin would read a whole page.”

Caitlin’s younger brother, Shawn also participated in the Reading Seed program at Cottonwood Elementary when he was in first grade. Now 9 years old, Shawn is an excellent reader and especially enjoys book series like Harry Potter and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Shawn’s memories of his reading coach are less personal, but he said, “Any kid who has trouble reading should have one!”

For Caitlin, Mrs. McKissick is remembered as an old friend, “She always gave me hugs, and after I’d read, I’d go and get something from the prize box.” By changing Caitlin’s perception of reading from something negative to something to be enjoyed and anticipated, her Reading Seed coach made a lasting impact on Caitlin’s life. That is the true gift that Reading Seed volunteers bring to the community; every week of every school year – they are truly making a difference in the lives of children.

In this charming and clever book, two unseen characters argue about whether the animal they see is a duck or a rabbit. It is filled with wonderful humor and just enough tension so that even reluctant readers will be picking a side. With simple illustrations and short (but funny!) sentences, Duck! Rabbit! is a great choice to keep younger kids focused and engaged in the story, while introducing the idea that points of view can differ and still be right. (Fountas & Pinnell Level D)

One of the four other literacy organizations that merged with Reading Seed on July 1st, Stories That Soar! is a literacy and performing arts program that combines the talents of professional adult performers with children’s original stories to create innovative and insightful theatre productions for school and community events. We hope to see you there!

The birthday party originally scheduled for this Friday, July 8th to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Literacy Volunteers of Tucson has been canceled due to the monsoon damage. Our thoughts are with our program partners as they work to repair and rebuild.

The new literacy organization formed by the merger of the Literacy for Life Coalition, Literacy Volunteers of Tucson, Reading Seed, Reach Out and Read Southern Arizona, and Stories That Soar! wants your feedback about what literacy means to YOU!

Our online survey takes less than 5 minutes to complete, and will provide us with some very important information. Please forward this link to your friends and encourage them to do the same.

We want to hear from as many people in our community as possible before our survey closes on July 15. Thanks for helping us spread the word!