 The Wonder of Reading Students
“You made the library so beautiful. I’ve never seen such good work. You are unbelievable. How did you make such an outstanding library? You are very good at making dreams come true.” — Louis Yoon, 4th grader at Welby Way Elementary
By the end of 2007, The Wonder of Reading will have impacted the lives of 300,000 students in the greater Los Angeles area. Through new libraries, books, and trained reading partners, students venture into the joy of reading that sometimes might be forgotten in this busy world of television and computer games. Nothing is more statisfying than seeing a child engrossed in a book in one of our new libraries, or learning of a student who became the “most improved” reader in his class due to the kind attention he received from his volunteer reading partner. The 3R Program focuses its efforts on Los Angeles’s most disadvantaged children. Many participate in the federal government’s Title I free-lunch program, which includes only the nation’s poorest children. Most of our students are from ethnic and racial groups traditionally under-represented in higher education. The ethnic breakdown of students at schools with library openings in 2007 is 78% Hispanic, 12% African-American, 4% Caucasian, 4% Asian, and 2% Other. We base our program at public elementary school sites so that all children in a given neighborhood have access to the new library. This is crucial because many of these children do not visit the public libraries—either their parents do not own cars or it is too dangerous to walk. (See literacy statistics in Southern California.) Please join us in our efforts to help the youth of Los Angeles. Consider donating money or books to The Wonder of Reading, or become a reading partner to a child who seeks the guidance of a kind and caring adult. You can make a difference! |
