A Success Story: “Kinder Readiness Training for the Parents of Latino Children"

 On July 20^th, was the closing ceremonies for a project that was recently funded by OCF through our Latino Partnership Project and the Marion County Reading for All Initiative.  The ceremony was hosted by FACES of America, a relatively new group that has sprung up here in the Northern Willamette Valley over the past two years. The evening was a culmination of a one month summer school program focused on reading and math recovery for 150 elementary school children lagging behind in these two critical areas. It also included a weeklong “Kinder Readiness Training" for the Parents of Latino children getting ready to enter the Salem/Keizer school system this coming Fall.

 The project was a collaboration of LPP, Marion County Reading for All!, the Salem/Keizer School District and Faces of America.

Stop, Drop and Read! is a statewide reading event to be held at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28, 2012.

The city of Aumsville has begun planning for its Summer Reading Camp Program, which will run every Monday for 10 weeks during the summer. In addition to having crafts and games, the children will be read to and receive a free book each week.

Weddle Elementary Parents and Community Resource &Literacy Fair

The Parents and Community Resource & Literacy Fair on April 11, 2013 from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m will target parents and community members in the Weddle neighboring areas that need support on literacy and educational success.

"2013 Spring Break Lunch and Books"

Marion Polk Food Share, Reading for All, Salem Keizer Education Foundation, Sodexo and several school districts, and community organizations will be distributing free lunches and books in over 45 sites across Marion and Polk Counties.

See a List of site near you. Print flier

Find a Little Free Library in your community!

Reading –let’s face it – is a vital part of learning. When someone thinks of school, reading something – an article, a story, a book, a test question – either pops directly into the conscious mind or flits from the subconscious level, tickling the edges of the conscious train of thought.

Marion County Reading for All! 2012Holiday Book Drive “12,000 books in 12 days”.

Tuesday, January 08, 2013

The Marion, Polk, and Yamhill Reading for All Initiative (RFA) facilitated the fourth annual “12,000 books in 12 days” Holiday Book Drive from December 1 – 12.  All together, the three counties received 25,901 books. MarionCounty alone received 22,367 donated books. 

I Love My Library

The Stayton Public Library wants to know why you love your library?
During February, please come in to see our extensive bookmark display and choose your free button. Write down your reason for loving the library and enter for a chance to win gift cards to the Stayton Friends of the Library Book Store. Wear your button and help spread the word about your library.

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How Reading Has Changed my Life

As an emerging author, most people approach me and say, “How awesome!  What inspired you to write a novel?” My first answer is “Because I love to read.”

The simple act of reading by Lisa Miller  Holiday Book Drive 2012

2012 Holiday Book Drive: Twelve Thousand Books in Twelve Days

The Marion County Children and Families Commission will launch the fourth annual Holiday Book Drive on Saturday, December 1.  This county-wide book drive will again seek 12,000 new or gently used children’s books from the community for the “Reading for All” initiative.  The 2012 Holiday Book Drive will culminate in an all-day drive-through event based at the Salem Conference Center on Wednesday, December 12, 2012.  Organizers are hopeful they will be able to exceed the goal of collecting more than 12,000 books.

Access to books plays a big role in a child's reading habits
By Eugenia Sotelo

It has been well established that access to books is an important factor at whether children will read or not. Research clearly has showed that those children who have more access to books read more than those who often lack the opportunity of accessibility to books (Krashen, 2007).

Promoting Literacy in the Northern Willamette Valley

With the support of our partner organizations and 4,815
dedicated volunteers, Reading for All  has distributed over 168,000 new and gently used books in the last three years.  

With determination, anyone can write

By Carolyne O'Connor

How does a pilot become a writer? My sister went to a great aeronautical university, taught computer accuracy as coordinator in one of the top-winning national flight teams, and, in general, made Tom Cruise’s character in Top Gun look like a softie. So, when we were sitting in a coffee shop a year and half ago, I was a bit surprised when she suddenly announced she wanted to become a writer.

Carolyne O’Connor is an Americorp Intern with the Marion County Health Department and a Reading for All Volunteer.  You can reach Ms. O'Coonor by email at mcarolyn.oconnor@gmail.com.

Summer Literacy Program "Getting Ready for Kindergarten" and "Reading and Math Recovery Program"

On July 20th, FACES of America hosted the Clossing of their  Summer Literacy Programs at Four Corners Elementary School in Salem Oregon.

The event was the culmination of a one month Summer School Program focused on reading and math recovery for 150 elementary kids from the Salem Keizer School District lagging behind in thse two critical areas.  It also included a week long "Kindergarten Readiness" training for 120 Latino parents.

The project was a collaboration of Oregon Community Foundation Latino Partnership Project, Marion County Reading for All and the Salem Keizer School District and the support of Mid-Valley Literacy Center and the Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality. 

A Success Story Video

Yamhill County Reading for All held it third annual National Literacy Month Celebration, "Curious? Read!" on September 22, 2012 in Sheridan. 

Linfield College students conduct a book sort for Yamhill County Reading for All as a part of their Taste of Service Day.

the 2011 Reading for All Literacy Awards will be recognized. 

Reading for All will be highlighted at the June 29 Volcanoes game.  Nominees from the 2012 Reading for All Literacy Awards will be recognized.  The spotlight will shine on youth, adults and businesses/organizations who have made a difference in reading throughtout Marion County. 

When: Friday, June 29, 2012
            Gates open at 5:30pm
            Reading for All program begins at 6:30pm
            Game begins at 7:05pm

Where: Salem-Keizer Volcanoes Stadium at 6700 Field of Dreams Way NE. Kezer, Oregon.

For more information contact the Marion County Children & Families Department at 503-588-7975 or visit www.volcanoesbaseball.com/ for tickets.

Official List: Reading for All Literacy Awards Nominees

The Little House / La Casita Summer Literacy Activities

Summer is here and the Little House is ready to kick off their Summer Reading Activities.
Come to register to participate in the many exciting reading activities that would be happening at your Little House.

The Little House is located at 3032 Sunnyview NE. Salem. Near the intersection of Lansing and Sunnyview.

Silverton Arts Association. has a great line-up of exciting new camps this summer, and some returning favorites too.
All camps require registration, so sign up today by phone at (503) 873-2480, by email at info@silvertonarts.org, or on our website www.silvertonarts.org.

We’re looking forward to a great summer! Hope to see you in the park!

On Saturday, May 5th, 100 parents, caregivers and child care providers gathered at Western Oregon University with one purpose: to increase their knowledge around dealing with and caring for children.  The first-ever "Learn, Grow, Thrive: Children, Families & Community" conference was a partnership between by Polk County Reading for All, the Parent Resource and Education Program (both programs of the Polk County Commission for Children and Families), and Western Oregon University Teaching Research Institute's Child Development Center. 

Families and partners gathered on March 31, 2012 to enjoy the premiere of the new Reading for All early literacy modeling DVD entitled "Growing Readers: Helping your child get ready to read."  Families received a gift basket as a token of appreciation for their participation. 

If you would like to receive a copy of the DVD, Please contact your local Reading for All Coordinator through out contact page.

Celebration of Cultures

This event celebrates the diversity that makes our community special. 

Downtown Silverton will come alive with the music, art, food, dance and displays from various cultures.  Businesses, student groups, artists, musicians, churches, and individuals participate in the festivities that allow community members and visitors to honor our differences and discover our common ground.

In an effort to inform parent of activities they can do with their children to help build strong pre-literacy skills, Yamhill County Reading for All!, in partnership with The Oregon Community Foundation and the McMinnville Public Library, produced this DVD titled 'Growing Readers: Helping Your Child Get Ready to Read.'  This DVD was made possible with the support of local families and community members who generously lent their time and expertise to help raise early literacy awareness.

2012 Literacy Conference a Success!

On Saturday, March 10th, the 2012 Literacy Conference, Unlock the Power, was held at McKay High School in Salem, Oregon.  The conference provided key literacy tips and techniques to support infants, children, and youth to the over 400 attendees, included parents, foster parents, grandparents, community members, childcare providers, preschool teachers, educators and others.

The Statesman Journal did a front coverage the Sunday, March 11, 2012 edition. Here is the link,

Officials estimate 23,000 books — and counting — have been donated during this year's Reading For All Holiday Book Drive......

Keizer Community Library
930 Chemawa Road NE. Keizer, OR.

Fall Book Sale

Approximately 18,000 books, audion and video tapes will be on sale

Read for the Record

Happy readers from the Southeast Community Center in Salem, OR.

Gubser Elementary

First Annual Literacy Night At Gubser Elementary in Keizer.

Literacy Night at Gubser Elementary, Keizer, OR.

Reading for All, in partnership with McMinnville Public Library, presented:

The fun family event took place on Saturday, September 17, 2011 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM in Upper City Park in McMinnville.

 The McMinnville fire chief did a story time reading for the children (left), while a clown made balloon creations (right).

In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Week we would like to extend a great big "THANK YOU!" to all of the volunteers who have helped Reading for All to promote literacy in their communities!!

Audrey Schabel, 8, picks out a free book at Grow Into Reading. / Denise Ruttan | The Stayton Mail

Stayton's Friends of the Family organized the annual Grow Into Reading early literacy evening, held this year on April 8 at Foothills Church in Stayton.

A variety of family-friendly activities, many of them hands-on and ranging from bingo to balloon animals to crafts, were designed to get children excited about reading at any age. Children also got to take home free books.

Friends of the Family collaborated with Reading For All, Santiam YMCA, Mom's Club of Stayton, Head Start, Stayton Library Foundation, Stayton Elementary School, Stayton Police Department, All Star Preschool, Foothills Church and Stayton Awanas to make the event a success.

— The Stayton Mail

Benjamin and Jennifer Samp enjoy the books they received from Reading for All with their mom Kimberly at the Safe Kids Fair held on April 2nd at Juliette's House.

Patrick Williams chose to implement a book drive in the Jefferson community as his project to earn his Eagle Scout.  Patrick was successful in his efforts by organizing a team of volunteers to collect, sort and redistribute books back to the community.  Reading for All is proud to have been a partner with Patrick. Congratulations on achieving this prestigious award, and we wish Patrick the best in life!

Dayton's new afterschool program will hold a "Pot of Gold" book drive to benefit children and families in their area March 16-April 6, 2011. 

Oregon State University is sponsoring the Agriculture in the Classroom Literacy Project with the book "Pancakes, Pancakes!" by Eric Carle.  The goal of the AITC Literacy Project is to improve both the reading literacy and agricultural literacy of Oregon elementary students.  Throughout this spring, dedicated volunteers will be sharing this story, as well as their own personal connection to Oregon agriculture, with students in communities throughout the state.

The Heart of Literacy Conference held at McKay High School on Saturday, February 26th was a huge success!  Over 500 parents, educators, caregivers and community members came together to learn how to best support their children and navigate through school.  Over 66 workshop sessions gave participants a wide variety of options to choose from.  Topics included: bullying, homework help, time and stress management and, the key focus, literacy!

This year's sponsors included the Marion County Children and Families Commission which supports Reading for All, the Salem Keizer School District, and the Salem Keizer Coalition for Equality. 

 Tamra Goettsch, one of the organizers of the conference, said, "Literacy is one of the root causes of things affecting a community: it's linked to poverty; it's linked to unemployment; it's linked to just about everything.  You can't participate fully in a community, or life in general, if you struggle with literacy." 

'Free Books At Last' honors MLK, reading

 By mid-day Monday, Stayton Public Library had distributed 46 books to children — all free of charge.

The event, "Free Books At Last," was part of the library's annual Martin Luther King, Jr., celebration.

Willie Richardson, of the Oregon Northwest Black Pioneers' Museum, read a book about Sacajawea and Lewis and Clark together with children's librarian Casle Portner.

The library had more than 500 gently used children's books to give away, according to Portner. They were collected mostly through donations, and much of those through the Reading for All book collection drive the library held in December.

The library will hold other events throughout the year to give away more of
the books, Portner said.

— Denise Ruttan

Mabel Rush Elementary in Newberg recognized for outstanding partnership in the recent Reading for All Holiday Book Drive.

Bernie told me that she loved to read Shel Silverstein’s poems with her mom; she was eager for their holiday visit.  We found one of his books on the shelf and checked it out to her.  Her step-mom thanked me and quietly told me how special it was for Bernie to share that book with her mom.  We had a brand new copy of “Where the Sidewalk Ends” someone put in that red bin. I quietly slipped the book to Bernie’s step-mom.  Bernie always helps her step-mom with her baby sisters; she is definitely on Santa’s nice list.

Thank you to all who generously contributed to the Reading for All Holiday Book Drive!  We surpassed our goal of collecting 12,000 books over 12 Days, and by hitting over 35,000 between the three counties of Marion, Polk and Yamhill!  Staff and volunteers have been out collecting the last  of the donations and bins.

We don't want to seem greedy, but we could still use more books.  If you missed the drive, it's not too late!  The Marion Polk Food Share will be accepting new or gently used children's books all year long.  During normal business hours, books can be dropped off at 1660 Industrial Dr NE.

Season's Readings!

Holiday Book Drive reminds people of the books that they loved as a child.  Yamhill County librarians and elected officials reminisce about their favorite books...

Take a trip down memory lane...what was your favorite book as a child?  How has that book stayed with you as an adult?  You can share that joy of reading with children in need by donating to Reading for All's Holiday Book Drive.

My Reading for All Experience

As a member of the Boy Scouts of America, I was asked to do a project that would help the community in Jefferson, OR.  During my involvement with the different programs in Jefferson, I learned about the Reading for All, an initiative designed around the idea of promoting reading throughout the Marion County communities.

Saturday, September 25th over 350 people came out to enjoy a Yamhill County Literacy Month Celebration, "If you Give a Kid a Book..." at Rotary Centennial Park in Newberg.  Entertainment included; The Reptile Man, Juggler David Reid, Celebrity Readers Rosa Oliveras, Officer  and Yamhill County Commissioner Mary Stern.  In addition, attendees were treated to free children's books and a free hot dog lunch.  The park was alive with children enjoying a book walk, book bingo and literacy crafts to create and take home.  Reading for All gave away nearly 380 books to children and collected 80 gently used children's books to re-distribute in the county.

The event was a partnership of Yamhill County Reading for All, Chehalem Parks and Recreation District and the Newberg Public Library.  Sponsors of the event included Jem 100, Newberg Ford, Loren Berg Chevrolet, Tire Factory, Nap's Thriftway and Copy Cats of McMinnville.

Climax Summer Interns donated 2,870 books to Reading for All in Yamhill County following a successful summer book drive!