Community leaders and volunteers will join Black Press and the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy on Oct. 7 to raise awareness about the importance of literacy and to celebrate the power literacy has in Grand Forks and the Boundary.
The 5th Annual Reach a Reader campaign will raise funds for local 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 Sheila Dobie; local community literacy coordinator. “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 Grand Forks, funds will help support childminding for the Together to Learn and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs.
Together to Learn offers parents the opportunity to upgrade their English, math and study skills with a Selkirk College instructor while childcare is provided in the same building. The weekly ESL class offers adults the opportunity to improve their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills with childcare provided when needed.
You can support the Reach a Reader campaign by making a donation in exchange for a special edition of the Grand Forks Gazette on Oct. 7. Volunteers will be on the street with papers in hand at the Buy-Low and Overwaitea between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. You may also donate online at chimp.net/groups/grand-forks-boundary-reach-a-reader-campaign.
To learn more about community-based literacy programs in Grand Forks and the Boundary contact Sheila Dobie, Boundary community literacy coordinator, at boundarycoordinator@cbal.org or go to cbal.org/boundary.
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.