There is no substitute for books in the life of a child."
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Mary Ellen Chase
Did you know that in middle income neighborhoods the ratio of books to child is 13 to 1? Did you also realize that in low-income neighborhoods the ratio is 1 to 300? Yes, that's correct according to the 2006 study published by the Handbook of Early Literacy Research. When I first heard these statistics I thought, "That's impossible!" but sadly, it is not fake data.
Come grab your morning cup of Joe on the house! Folks who donate to SAYL for the Big Give on Thursday, March 22 will receive a free house coffee (in house or to go) from Local at the Leon Springs location.
Come try your luck on San Antonio Youth Literacy's twist on an old school classic! The spelling bee from your youth without the anxiety! Face-off against other hives by working with your team (up to 4 players) to compete for the title of Sip & Spell Champion!
Join SAYL for a morning cup of coffee or tea! Stop by the Pearl Local Coffee location on April 17th or the E. Sonterra Boulevard location on April 18th and receive a morning beverage on SAYL! Mingle with staff and fellow volunteers. Bring a friend to learn more about SAYL and they will also receive a free coffee on us!
Book Buddies announces a new sign-up site. Because of the increased need for volunteers to sort the huge number of books we have this year, Book Buddies now has on-line registration for sorting/boxing sessions at our headquarters.Sign up for times in March and April. Please register for as many as possible. The site will allow you to sign up friends or groups, too, which is a great way to volunteer together. We need lots of volunteers to get all those books ready for the Book Giveaways at the end of May.Read more >>
Volunteer Spotlight - Valero Vanguard
Our Volunteer Spotlight for March is the Valero Vanguard! The Valero Vanguard is a new SAYL partnership, but already they are making a great impact at their schools. The Vanguard, a retiree volunteer organization through Valero, first became involved with SAYL last spring, volunteering to help sort books with our Book Buddies team. "Valero's culture of management has always been about giving back to the community, whether it's United Way, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Junior Achievement and numerous other charitable organizations. The Valero Vanguard gives retirees a chance to continue to give back to our community as well as continued engagement with Valero," noted Vanguard member Charles Franks.Read more >>
School Spotlight - Northern Hills
Our spotlight school of the month is Northern Hills Elementary in NEISD, and our Site Director Ms. Beth Fouse. The second grade team and Ms. Fouse have been absolutely amazing and supportive of SAYL and the Reading Buddy Program. "Our teachers and administrators love having the SAYL program," Fouse said. Read more >>
Donor Spotlight
A special thanks to Mission Trail Rotary for their continued support of our SAYL Reading Buddy Program through their $1,500 grant award, and to the Frankie Casseb Literacy Club for their ongoing gift of $350 per quarter. THANK YOU to both organizations from SAYL!
