NCFL Update!

Posted by admin on 09.11.2007 at 8:35 am

I received this today from our partner, The National Center for Family Literacy, and wanted to share it with everyone.  NCFL is doing great work and this press release…..timed to coincide with the celebration of International Literacy Day (September 8^th)……is a great way to draw attention to the issue of illiteracy in our own country……

David W. Murphy
President and CEO
Better World Books

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Desks and Dedication

Posted by admin on 09.10.2007 at 8:43 am

As you have seen and read from my Better World Books colleagues, a few of us had the opportunity to visit the Santa Rosa School in Arizona.  I had the opportunity help teachers set up classrooms, set-up computers, inflate playground balls, and interact with the families of the FACE program.  It was amazing to see the impact that the teachers make on the children and more so, the dedication the teachers had for what they did is truly inspiring.

David Murphy and I had the chance to help one of the teachers set up her classroom.  She had found out only a few days prior to our arrival that she would no longer be teaching 1st graders, but would actually have 5th grade students at the beginning of the school year.  As you can imagine, it is quite a daunting task to convert a 1st grade classroom to one appropriate for 5th graders in just a few days.

David Murphy, CEO of BWB, adjusting desks.                     The classroom after the desks were adjusted.

At the start, David and I readjusted table heights for the new class.  With only a day until school started, we helped transform the classroom from piles of desks and stacked boxes to a functioning room.  But we definitely had the easy job.  It was now up to the teacher to prepare the curriculum and teach the kids the entire year.

The trip was definitely an unforgettable experience and helps me appreciate all that I have.  It also gives me some satisfaction that what we do here at Better World Books is at the very least able to help our organizations such as these.

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International Literacy Day

Posted by admin on 09.07.2007 at 2:31 pm

Tomorrow, September 8th, is International Literacy Day! The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is dedicating this year to the vital relationship between literacy and health – including general health care, nutrition, family and reproductive health and health-related community development. The slogan for International Literacy Day 2007 is “Literacy, key to good health and well-being.”

Betterworld.com has a special feature on Five Things That You Can Do To Support Literacy – visit the site for an extra 10% off book purchases through September 12th, 2007.

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FORGE September Newsletter

Posted by admin on 09.07.2007 at 12:48 pm

Dear Friends of FORGE:

What a summer it has been!  Last time you heard from me, our teams were just arriving in Zambia.  Now, after a lot of hard work and inspiring results, FORGE closes its Project Implementation phase and turns things over to our 100+ refugee staff and FORGE Project Managers.

This has been, without question, the most successful season in the history of FORGE.  I have never had so many people – NGOs, community members, refugees – come to me and tell me what a success FORGE is.  We are truly making a massive positive impact on the lives of thousand of refugees.

From a huge refugee rights initiative in Meheba to a repatriation information center in Kala to a community-wide women’s center in Meheba, this summer has been chalk full of success stories.  We’ve been inspired by our volunteers, our refugee staff, the communities in which we work, and everyone else in the FORGE family.

Sincerely yours,

Kjerstin Erickson
Founder and Executive Director
_______________________________________
To learn more about FORGE, visit www.forgenow.org
To sign up for the FORGE newsletter, click here

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In Their Words

Posted by admin on 09.07.2007 at 10:40 am

Last month, I along with a group from Better World Books and the National Center for Family Literacy visited the Santa Rosa School, located on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. While there I cleaned graffiti, helped set up classrooms and did my best to act as a TA for a 1st grade class.

That experience in particular gave me a greater appreciation for the amazing work of teachers (their salaries should be quadrupled) as well as the importance of having quality educational resources such as books in classrooms (the children pored over the books and were anxious to have you read to them). Toward that end, Better World Books donated a few hundred books for students and parents to take home.

Another highlight was seeing the Family and Child Education Program (FACE) sponsored by the National Center for Family Literacy in action. The following excerpts by FACE participants explain better than I ever could the impact of this program on families. Your support of Better World Books and the NCFL makes stories like these possible. Please read their narratives below….

ENDING THE CYCLE
Rachel had a hard time at school, always getting teased about her mixed heritage. In eleventh grade, she dropped out. She doesn’t want the same for her three young grandchildren.

“FACE is showing me how to help my family. I’ve learned things on the computer and about reading and writing. This is what FACE has done for me: it has helped me out in dealing with myself and my family. I’d like to thank the adult education class for giving me encouraging words.”

WHAT MATTERS MOST
Colleen’s long shifts at the hospital took away time from her family. While she enjoyed the steady paycheck, Colleen felt that she was giving up spending time with her children. With the FACE program, she can spend time with them and will soon further her own education in nursing.

“My children are what matter most, especially their education. What better place to start their education than with the FACE program. FACE is helping me too. I am learning parenting skills through the Love and Logic program. I plan to continue coming to FACE because it’s been so helpful to both my children and me.”

COURAGE TO TRY AGAIN
Robert remembers a plaque he received at kindergarten graduation: “The higher you reach, the further you go.” His older siblings made fun of him, taunting he’d never go far. And Robert believed them. He dropped out of school and gave up every time he tried to go back.
But Robert got up the courage to complete his education and is now one credit away from receiving his GED. The plaque he remembers from kindergarten now stands for one thing: education.

“FACE has meant family, kindness and compassion. FACE has educated me in so many different ways and has enriched my life. I am so thankful for the program, which will be part of my life for a long time to come.”

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