You don’t need to be a genius to get ahead in life. You don’t need to read and write at university level to have a successful and fulfilling life.
But it helps.
Gold Trail School District works hard to make sure all of their students meet and beat the provincial literacy goals. It’s the aim of all schools across the country. In fact, it’s the aim of most countries to make sure their population is literate.
If you never have to sign your name or read a document, you’re one of the unusual ones. Most people don’t have that option. Not being able to read or write cuts down on a lot of opportunities in life, because it’s the way we communicate.
Children who communicate well do better, and families have a lot of influence over that early reading and writing skill development.
Raise a Reader is a once a year fund raiser in which newspapers are handed out for a donation. Those contributions go towards materials which encourage families to reader together and to help run family literacy programs.
The past two years, the Ashcroft, Cache Creek, and Spences Bridge area have taken part in Raise A Reader, using donations of newspapers from The Journal. Bridging to Literacy has used these contributions to purchase books for free book draws during Family Literacy Week and at the Rodeo parade.
This year, Bridging to Literacy also used Raise a Reader funds to purchase story books for participants in the Mother Goose program held at the South Cariboo Elizabeth Fry office on Monday mornings.
Raise A Reader will be held on Thursday Sept. 27. There will be volunteers in each of the communities handing out The Journal for a donation. These small contributions can make a big difference in the lives of the children in our communities.
Donations for Raise a Reader are important, but don’t forget that reading starts at home. Make reading fun for your children; encourage both reading and writing. Literacy is the most important life skill tool you can give them.
Wendy Coomber is editor of the Ashcroft-Cache Creek Journal