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EVERYBODY WINS!
America Reads Contact: Gladys Rosenblum
165 East 56th Street
New York, NY
E-mail: grosenblum@everybodywins.org
Telephone: 212-832-1950
Fax: 212-832-3965
Participation: Everybody Wins! is a non-profit organization devoted to promoting children's literacy. Our "Power Lunch" is a literacy\mentoring program that matches volunteers from corporations and other community organizations with local public school children for one-to-one reading, one lunch hour a week. Everybody Wins! is headquartered in New York City where nearly 2,100 volunteers from some 100 organizations in the metropolitan area read to students in 25 elementary schools. There are affiliate programs in cities and towns across the country -- the largest being Boston and Washington, DC -- with volunteers from sources ranging from the Junior League to the Supreme Court bringing the national total to roughly 5,000.
Tutoring: At present, the "Power Lunch" serves public school children in grades 1 through 5. In some cases, where the school itself extends through the 8th grade and when the reading pairs want to stay together, "Power Lunch" can continue on until high school. Our volunteers come from a variety of organizations -- investment banks, law firms, the Junior League, Senior Citizen centers, hospitals, colleges and universities, etc. The focus in all of our sites is literacy, and, more broadly the world of ideas and the expression of ideas. The goal of "Power Lunch" is to help children learn to love reading, to see reading as the means to an end (the "end" being fun, adventure and friendship)instead of just a skill to be mastered in school, and, ultimately, to help children develop the skills and
Our volunteers are not just reading partners, they are caring, consistent adult role models who share their lives with their student partners and expose them to worlds, career options, etc. that they might not otherwise see. Since they are not technically tutors we do not provide a great deal of training, but do conduct orientation sessions and feedback\refresher sessions (often with the volunteers and teachers together) to communicate the scope, definition, structure and guidelines of the program, to assess the volunteers experience of and satisfaction with the program, to ask for their input about improvements and enhancements we might make, as well as provide them with whatever assistance they may need.
Resources: The Everybody Wins! staff coordinates and manages all aspects of "Power Lunch" for the volunteers as well as the schools, including recruiting volunteers, matching students, coordinating reading days, overseeing the reading in progress, and maintianing all communications.
Research: We are in the process of developing quantifiable assessment tools. To date the majority of evaluative materials have been anecdotal with input coming from principals, teachers, and volunteers.
Relations: Everybody Wins! has received increasing amounts of both local and national media coverage -- but nearly all of that has been a result of a news agency or publication approaching us. We are in the process of stepping up our publicity efforts. We have formed coalitions with other groups sponsoring and promotion literacy efforts throughout the country, but mainly in New York. We are in close contact with other similar organizations to help create a pool of shared knowledge and experience.
GANC
America Reads Contact: SR Sugar
PO BOX 103
NY, NY
E-mail: stressstar@hotmail.com
Telephone: 212-772-0326
Fax: 212-772-0326
NATIONAL JEWISH COALITION FOR LITERACY
America Reads Contact: Craig Sumberg
15 East 26th Street, #1039
New York, NY
E-mail: njcl@jon.cjfny.org
Telephone: 212/545-9215
Fax: 212/545-9321
Participation: The NJCL is the organized Jewish community's vehicle for participation in the America Reads Challenge. Our endorsing agencies include many, if not all, of the social service-oriented groups in Jewish life (including representatives of the four major denominations in Jewish life). We have committed to mobilizing 100,000 Jewish volunteers over the next five years -- as tutors, readers, book drive organizers, and more -- in the fight against illiteracy. We will have ten sites up and running by the end of the 97-98 school year, and intend to begin another 25 local initiatives next year.
OCCAA / FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROGRAM
America Reads Contact: Katherine O'Gurk
207 North James St.
Rome, New York 13440
E-mail: OCCAAFGP@aol.com
Telephone: 315 339-5640 ext.248
Fax: 339-2981
TIME WARNER INC.
America Reads Contact: Virginia McEnerney
75 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY
E-mail: virginia.mcenerney@twi.com
Internet Address:
http://www.timewarner.com/corp/socresp/ttr/index.html
Telephone: 212-484-6410
Fax: 212-484-6417
Participation: Time Warner supports the America Reads Challenge through its operation of Time To Read (TTR), the nation's largest corporate-sponsored volunteer literacy program for children and adults. Through Time To Read, 320 partnerships have been established with businesses, schools, colleges, government and community organizations, prisons, churches and worksites to operate TTR at 280 locations in 85 cities in 16 states and the District of Columbia.
Tutoring: Time To Read trains volunteers and pairs them with learners at three levels-children in grades 2-6, adolescents in grades 7-12, and adults. There are currently 4,000 volunteers tutoring and mentoring 15,800 learners. Time Warner employees, college students, AmeriCorps members, seniors, corporate and community volunteers serve as TTR tutors in weekly tutoring sessions with learners who are recruited through schools, community organizations or the workplace.
Resources: Time To Read supplies tutors and learners with a customized curriculum developed by Time Warner and supplemented by an array of Time Warner products which are used as teaching tools-magazines, music videos, comics, scripts and audiobooks. Time Warner sponsors all Time To Read sites where any of its subsidiaries or divisions partner with a local community group or school. TTR is a not-for-profit program. The complete program is available to corporate sponsors and government agencies at the actual cost ($175 per learner). Schools and organizations who qualify for tax deductible contributions under Section 501(c)(3)of the IRS Code and who wish to participate without a corporate sponsor pay $125 per learner. There must be a minimum of 20 learners; materials may not be purchased separately.
Research: Independent evaluations are conducted biennially. In the most recent evaluation, learners reported they read better (90%), enjoy reading more (89%) and understand what they read (92%). Almost all tutors (98%) enjoyed their personal interaction with learners. Tutors also gained satisfaction from seeing their learners progress and from being involved in promoting literacy (95%).
WOMEN'S AMERICAN ORT
America Reads Contact: Naomi Zeitman
315 Park Ave. South
New York, New York 10010
E-mail: waort@waort.org
Internet Address: www.waort.org
Telephone: 800-51-WAORT
Fax: 212-674-3057
Participation: Women's American ORT is a national membership Jewish organization which supports the global ORT network of scientific, technological and vocational schools and programs, helps to strengthen the fabric of Jewish life, and advocates on behalf of quality education, democratic values and human rights.
Tutoring: Currently more than 1,000 Love Reading kits have been distributed nation-wide and more than 20 Women's American ORT Chapters are participating in the Love Reading campaign. Different Chapters provide different reading services and programs to youngsters in kindergarten through the sixth grade in communities throughout the country. Some Chapters have book drives while others provide reading programs in their community centers and schools.
Resources: All volunteers are supplied with Love Reading kits, which include reading tips, activities, a resource list, state literacy hotlines and an extensive list of children's books to choose from. Any person interested in our Love Reading program can receive a kit by calling the national office at 800-51-WAORT, ext 267
Research: We are tracking the success of our Love Reading campaign by having the Chapters provide updates and status of their services to their communities. It is our goal to follow the success of each recipient of our Love Reading kit.
Relations: Broadway and television stars have been spreading the word in Love Reading radio public service announcements since 1995. This year's PSAs star Jerry Stiller of Seinfeld fame and Anne Meara, his wife and comedy partner. Women's American ORT advocates on behalf of quality education in partnership with several organizations throughout the country. Recently, we joined forces with Mentoring USA. Our first national book drive will take place at our Triennial Convention in Washington, D.C., in July. All books will be donated to Mentoring USA participants, including schools, community centers and after-school programs. Many Women's American ORT Chapters publicize their community service outreach in their local newspapers.
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[NORTH CAROLINA]