Books For Kids - Erie | Newsletter | Vol 15 No 4 Autumn 2005


	Books For Kids, Erie Chapter

Volume 15 No. 4 Autumn 2005	An affiliate of The Books For Kids Foundation, New York, NY
Books for Kids Joins With WQLN
Board Members President Dean Baldwin, Ph.D. Vice-President Atty. Chris Kovsky Secretary Juan Fernandez, Ph.D. Treasurer Bob Monahan, CPA Members Kathleen Cantrell Donna Gloekler Shantel Hilliard Jane Levin Mary Connerty Mary Jo Melvin, Ph.D. Patty Puline Florence Smith Joy Sweeting Jim Voss, CPA Webmaster Frank Singer		WQLN Families Turn on to Literacy Partners with Books for Kids Books for Kids and WQLN have joined forces under the "Turn on to Literacy" program to help kids and their parents to start home educational activities. WQLN's program features a series of four workshops for children and parents that endeavors to instill media literacy, promote active learning, teach reading basics, and develop the love of reading. Scheduled workshops during 2006 will be held at St. Martin's School, Franklin Terrace, and Harbor Homes. Children in these programs are enrolled in Head Start programs and hence are from 2½ to 5 years of age - an excellent time to help them get ready for school and to start (or better yet continue) an in-home reading program. Families who complete these workshops receive a dozen new books from WQLN, thanks to its corporate sponsors. Now, with the help of Books for Kids, the children will each receive an additional book from Books for Kids and will be enrolled in our Books for Birthdays program so that they can continue to receive at least three more books each year until the child turns 18.	A Books for Kids board member will participate directly in the fourth workshop, "For the Love of Reading," helping parents to become actively involved in their children's education by playing literacy games and - above all - reading aloud to their children every evening. The Families program at WQLN is coordinated by Ann Jean "AJ" Czerwinski, with support from Traci Schuman. Follow up studies on programs like the one sponsored by WQLN show that families who participate read together 35% more often and for 20% longer periods. Not surprisingly, these families also make more frequent trips to libraries and book stores. Books for Kids is proud of its new association with WQLN and hopes that this partnership will continue. The demand for WQLN's programs unfortunately exceeds it resources to provide them, so we at Books for Kids would encourage readers of this newsletter to ask their company to sponsor a series of "Turn on to Literacy" Workshops. Nice going, WQLN We look forward to working with you!
Books for Kids, Erie Chapter P.O. Box 3059 Erie, PA 16508 (814) 898-6214 ________


Some photographic memories from the past 15 years of Books for Kids

Long time board member and Hooked on Books founder, Dolores Sarafinski	Board Members Flo Smith and Donna Gloekler

Unidentified kids curl up with a reader and their new books from Books for Kids An early Books for Kids brochure
Some of our books currently available for distribution
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15 Years of Books for Kids! As 2005 comes to a close, Books for Kids, Erie Chapter, celebrates 15 years of service to the children and youth of Erie County. As our "regulars" may recall, we began with nothing more than a wing and a prayer back in 1990, meeting in the GROW Center on Peach Street in the basement of a building that is now a bank's parking lot. Thanks to Kathleen Cantrell, we learned about the Books for Kids organization in New York City, and we became a chapter in 1991. Through the New York office, we were able to obtain several thousand free books - and from that point on, we were well and truly launched. In addition to Kathleen, Flo Smith, Bob Monahan, and Dean Baldwin have been board members since those early days, but obviously many, many people have served over the years, contributing their expertise and enthusiasm to the program that continues to flourish fifteen years later. To all of them, we express our profound gratitude, but most of all we credit our readers, those who have supported us over the years and those who have just joined. Thanks, Erie, for 15 wonderful years of consistent support! With your help, we have given over 150,000 brand new books to the children and youth of Erie! GE Donors Asked to Renew Again this year, Books for	Kids hopes to profit from General Electric's "More Gifts, More Givers" program, which last year brought in over $1,500. GE employees or retirees who donate at least $25 to BFK will have their gifts matched by GE if the call 1-800-305-0669 or visit the website at www.gefoundation.com. At least 10 gifts totaling $1,000 or more are needed to qualify. Please Check Your Mailing Label If you are wondering whether your Books for Kids membership is up to date, check the date on the mailing label of this newsletter. The date your membership expires is given here. Thanks to New and Renewing Members Major Contributors $250.^oo+ North East Community Food Pantry Benefactors $100.^oo+ Rev. & Mrs. Charles Brock Park United Methodist Women Mr. and Mrs. S. Rooney Allan Slovenkay St. Boniface Food Pantry Patrons $50.^oo+ P. & J. Dorris Chet & Dorothy Giermak R. M. Jarmolowicz M. K. Mehler Mr. & Mrs. Robert Monahan Jan & Robert Nagle John & Gertrude Petersen St. Luke Food Pantry	Sponsors $25.^oo+ P. & J. Baker Jeanne Bender Neva & C. V. Cunningham P.A. Davis Elbert & Helen Friend B. & J. Jones W. & A. Joslin Jim and Gail Kurre Betty Motsch Dr. Charisse Nixon Joe & Marge Podolsky S. Renner T. & B. Schaeffer John & Sharon Schultz South End Benefit Assoc. Dr. David & Mary Teufel Rod & Judy Troester Friends $10.^oo+ Mike and Maryann Chiteman M. P. Fogle L. W. Garrelts Earleen Glaser E. Goodrich T. Lewandowski Patricia Lynch Larry Sawdy E. Scarpelli Douglas Smith A. Steinker D. & M. Tammaro I. & N. Thompson Soledad Travern To all our friends and supporters, we say a grateful Thank You! The needy children and youth of Erie County have received the gift of literacy and life-long learning because of your generosity! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
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WON'T YOU PLEASE HELP US?

Please use this coupon to lend us your support. The children and youth of Erie County will thank you.
[Has your membership expired? The date on the mailing label indicates your last donation.]

____ Major Donor $250+

____ Benefactor $100+

____ Patron $50+

____ Sponsor $25+

____ Friend $10+

Mail the completed form and check payable to "Books for Kids, Erie Chapter," P.O. Box 3059 Erie, PA 16508.

Donations to Books for Kids are tax deductible for those who itemize.

Books for Kids Joins With WQLN