The Literacy Zones Project

Literacy Zone Outreach Coordinator
We will hire a joint-outreach coordinator to recruit and support literacy volunteers in the Sunnyside Neighborhood Literacy Zone, where it has been difficult historically to recruit enough volunteers to meet demand. The outreach coordinator will serve as a liaison to the community and give presentations and orientations to help build a culture of literacy in Sunnyside. (Literacy Volunteers of Tucson, Reading Seed, Pima County Public Library and Sunnyside Unified School District)

Picture Book Peace Project
In this project, early childhood educators in Sunnyside Neighborhood receive literacy strategies and professional development, along with carefully chosen age-appropriate books with themes of peace, generosity and compassion for their students. A culminating activity will be a lasting project (such as a “Hands for Peace” ceramic hand prints mural, planting a peace tree or filming a peace video of children’s interviews) that will stand as the children’s monument to peace. (MWFB, Mission Manor Elementary, Sunnyside Neighborhood Association, Sunnyside Parents As Teachers and Pima County Public Library)

Stories of the Zone
This project engages literacy zone children of all ages. Elementary students write stories that will be performed by professional actors at their schools. Middle school students provide illustrations for these stories and create hardcover books of them. The culmination of this event will be a book signing where authors and illustrators proudly share their work with the community. (Stories That Soar!, Voices, Inc. and Make Way for Books)