Literacy Connects is a Safe Place
Special Blog from Betty Stauffer, Executive Director of Literacy Connects. Literacy Connects, as our name implies, is a connector. We connect to, with, and for people of all ages—regardless of age, race, gender, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation. This is a scary time for the hundreds of immigrant and refugee children and adults that […]
STS! Celebrates 15 Years at Sam Hughes Elementary
On a sunny, 90+ degree day in October of this year, the Stories that Soar! team brought their A-game to the stage at Sam Hughes Elementary. The performance marked the 15 year anniversary of our relationship with Sam Hughes Elementary. That’s fifteen years of incredible student stories coming to life on stage. After the show, […]
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett – Book Review by Violet
Extra Yarn Author-Mac Barnett Illustrator-Jon Klassen Fountas and Pinnell level-L Extra Yarn, a Caldecott honor book and a New York Times bestseller, is a story about a little girl named Annabelle who finds a box full of colorful yarn. Annabelle does the only sensible thing to do when one finds a box […]
Exploring Literacy in Mexico
This week we have a guest blog from Jessica Dennes, our Reading Seed Coach Manager and Trainer. Over the summer she studied literacy abroad in Mexico and reflects on her experiences below. As the Volunteer Manager and Trainer for the Reading Seed program of Literacy Connects, I am naturally curious about literacy in various settings. So it […]
Reading Seed, Reach Out and Read, and Infusion Hire New Staff Members!
Meet our three newest staff members. We’re excited to have them on our team, and can’t wait to see all the great work they’re going to do for literacy in Southern Arizona. Jessica Lenchitsky – Reading Seed Program Coordinator Jessica is new to Tucson and is enjoying exploring the desert surroundings- a drastic change for a life-long […]
AmeriCorps Positions Available
AmeriCorps was founded in 1994 and has since put over 80,000 Americans to work in jobs that directly impact our communities. AmeriCorps positions are an excellent way to get involved, and Literacy Connects is looking for two AmeriCorps members to begin work as soon as possible. These positions provide ample opportunity to work with children […]
220% Improvement in Kindergarteners’ Reading From Literacy Connects Pilot Program
Kindergartners at Keeling Elementary have made astonishing strides in their reading skills, their attitudes about reading, and their classroom engagement after participation in Literacy Connects’ Reading Seed Kinder Project pilot. Literacy Connects Takes Pride In Our Flexible Programming In response to a significant population of struggling readers at Keeling Elementary, Literacy Connects created a year-long, […]
Literacy Connects Event Raises over $130K for Local Literacy Programming
With the generous support of our community sponsors, donors, volunteers, and student ambassadors we were able to raise over $132,000 for Literacy Connects programming at our annual Get Connected event. Volunteer table hosts filled the Tucson Convention Center ballroom with local citizens, dignitaries, and elected officials for a total attendance of 658. Getting Connected Attendees to both breakfast […]
Passing on the Invaluable Gift of Literacy
Defining Literacy What is literacy? In my mind, it is being able to both give and receive thoughts and ideas in the process of interconnecting with the world around us. Other people are a very big part of that world, and I believe that reading, writing, listening, speaking, signing, and miming are all activities through […]
Meet New Board Member Thom Cope
We’re pleased to announce the election of Thom Cope onto Literacy Connects’ Board of Directors. Thom is an attorney at Mesch Clark Rothschild. He has served on the Literacy Connects Awareness/Capacity committee for three years. He is passionate about education and understands full well the power of reading and the dearth of opportunity for those […]
