Read Aloud West Virginia

We've had more than 60 people register for the Sept. 4 orientation! Due to this big crowd, we are closing the registration for this orientation to ensure everyone on the call receives proper training.

We will be scheduling more New Reader Orientations soon! We will post those on our page.

Two upcoming New Reader Orientations! Please spread the word!

Visit this link to pre-register: https://readaloudwv.org/calendar

Today at 6 p.m! We have a virtual New Reader Orientation on Zoom for anyone interested in becoming a classroom reader this year!

After registering at the link below, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting.

Please share!

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpfuqprz0rG9xLQH0EHHYWCaiY-Djh59ve #/registration

Elizabeth Ochoa is the store manager at Teays Valley Starbucks. She has nominated Read Aloud West Virginia for the Starbucks Neighborhood Grant for the past two years. Each year we've been awarded $1,000. Elizabeth uses her personal Read Aloud WV experience when speaking to other Starbucks employees around the Tri-State to encourage participation in the Starbucks Neighborhood Grant program.

"Read Aloud WV’s mission seeks to change the literacy culture of WV. They strive to keep reading material in the hands and on the minds of our state’s children," Elizabeth said. "I grew up rural WV and, as a child, reading was the only way I could explore the world outside of my community. Reading is the best way for the children of WV to explore and learn and imagine things that they’d otherwise not experience. Read Aloud WV strives to foster a love of reading from birth, to motivate a want to read. My youngest child benefitted from this program. They partner with CAMC Women’s and Children’s hospital to donate books to babies born there, including my baby."

We cannot thank Elizabeth enough for championing Read Aloud WV. Thanks to her, hundreds of WV school children will take home new books to keep. We appreciate you and everything you do for our state's young readers!

Two upcoming New Reader Orientations! Please spread the word!

Visit this link to pre-register: https://readaloudwv.org/calendar

Read Aloud WV was proud to provide 140 new books for all students at Brandywine Elementary School in Pendleton County for their back-to-school event! We appreciate MountainHeart Community Services, Inc. for handing out books to the children and for valuing childhood literacy.

If you or someone you know lives, works, or volunteers in Pendleton County, please contact our office! We would love to continue to serve these communities any way we can.

We hope students enjoy their books, and we wish them another wonderful year at Brandywine!

Since we had such fabulous attendance at our first New Reader Orientation yesterday, we've scheduled another session for next week! Please share and SPREAD THE WORD for our next two upcoming orientations:

Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 6 p.m: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpfuqprz0rG9xLQH0EHHYWCaiY-Djh59ve #/registration

Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 12:30 p.m: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtdeCqqjsuE9OVtSn8OCVBajdeRgrt3T8p #/registration

Join us for one of these 1-hour, 15-minute virtual orientations to learn everything you need to know to be a successful volunteer classroom reader this school year! After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting.

We appreciate everyone for sharing and taking interest in growing childhood literacy in West Virginia!

Happening at 4 p.m. today!

Tomorrow! We have our FIRST New Reader Orientation of the 2024-25 school year. Attend this one-time, hour-long Zoom training and you'll be certified to read to children in a West Virginia classroom!

Tuesday, Aug 20 at 4 p.m: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrduqoqTgtEtdNPGxs2bahFHS3if0k5aRC

Please spread the word!

Advise that the link takes you to a registration screen ahead of time, and then you receive the actual meeting link. Please contact our office at 304-345-5212 or [email protected] if you have any questions.

We've scheduled our first two New Reader Orientations of the school year. After you complete this hour-long Zoom training, you'll be certified to read in a West Virginia classroom! Here are the dates, times, and links:

Tuesday, Aug 20 at 4 p.m:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrduqoqTgtEtdNPGxs2bahFHS3if0k5aRC

Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 12:30 p.m:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtdeCqqjsuE9OVtSn8OCVBajdeRgrt3T8p

Please advise that the link takes you to a registration screen ahead of time, and then you receive the actual meeting link. Please contact our office at 304-345-5212 or [email protected] if you have any questions.

It was a wonderful time in Huntington last Friday as the June Harless Center at Marshall University celebrated Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Day with an event and read aloud with new Marshall Women's Basketball Coach Juli Fulks. New Read Aloud WV Board Member and Marshall University Early Childhood Education professor Monica DellaMea gave free books to kids who attended. Thanks again for having us!

Upcoming in-person New Reader Orientation in Jackson County!

Monday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. in the Ripley Public Library

Read Aloud WV would like to thank Charleston Area Alliance and Up Next Charlie West for awarding their August member of the month to our very own Elena Compton. Elena recently joined our State Office team as Grants & Development Manager. She spoke about her love for growing childhood literacy in her home state and our organization's mission to motivate children to WANT to read.

Up Next Charlie West holds a networking event on the first Tuesday of each month for young Charleston professionals. Please see their page for more info.

For any young members of our community interested in being a volunteer reader in a local school, please contact our office!

Read Aloud WV will be celebrating Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Day in Huntington this Friday! The June Harless Center at Marshall University is hosting a read aloud with new Marshall Women's Basketball Coach Juli Fulks at 9:30 a.m. in the Memorial Student Center Plaza! There are other activities at the event such as coloring a rainbow, sidewalk chalk, picking up a scavenger hunt to complete around campus, and more!

We will be there handing out free books! We hope to see you there!

Happy Dolly Week!

We'll be sharing facts about Dolly Parton Imagination Library all week in honor of Dolly Day happening on Friday August 9th!

Visit https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/ to enroll your child to receive free books!

Read Aloud WV was at the Wayne County Fair today! A gracious thank you to Amanda Parsley and her team of volunteers for handing new books out to some young readers. The fair runs until Saturday at Camden Park in Huntington. We hope you stop by and enjoy the fair!

Our August member of the month is Elena Compton!

Elena Compton is a West Virginia native. Her passion for education and increasing literacy rates in the state is what drove her to get involved with Read Aloud WV as their Development and Grants Manager. She also works part time as a tutor, for the Appalachian Reading Center, which specializes in teaching children with dyslexia how to read. This special cause is close to her heart because she was diagnosed with dyslexia when she was eight years old. She strives to give back to students like herself. Additionally, she serves on the WIN Academy Board at Bridge Valley. The WIN Academy is designed to empower 12th graders to complete their senior year of high school and their first year of a nursing or advanced manufacturing technology program simultaneously, completely free of charge. Lastly, she is a Learn-To-Skate Instructor at the South Charleston Memorial Ice Arena. In her spare time she enjoys spending it with friends and family who are a huge part of her life.

Elena will be at First Tuesdays on August 6 and hopes to see you all there!

Enjoy International Day of Friendship with these books!

To learn more, visit: https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/childrens-books-about-friendship

We are so excited!

Thank you to Keep Your Faith Corporation for inviting Read Aloud WV out to their Back to School Block Party! We handed out lots of new books to young readers today. Other community organizations offered food, backpacks, health info, hair care, and more to hundreds of children and families at the Second Avenue Neighborhood Center on Charleston's West Side.

It was a beautiful day to celebrate the last weeks of summer. Our volunteer readers will see you in your classrooms soon!

There has been so much to celebrate during Janet McCauley's 10 years as president of Read Aloud WV of Jackson County. She wrote about some highlights over this past decade.

Thank you to Janet (pictured center in this photo) and all of our Jackson County volunteers who've worked to grow childhood literacy in their communities and across West Virginia.

Read her full article in the Jackson Star and Herald: https://www.wvnews.com/jacksonnews/if-you-give-a-child-a-book/article_b258a0d6-4231-11ef-b6c0-2b164646f80a.html

It's back to school time for Piedmont Elementary students in Kanawha County! The school, which is on a year-round calendar, hosted a fun Back to School Bash on their playground this afternoon. Many community providers attended to give out produce, books, info, and more. Thanks so much to Piedmont for inviting us! We hope your students have a great year.

We are so excited for the grand reopening of the South Charleston Public Library on Monday at 10 a.m! The building had been closed for three months following heavy storm damage. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by a children's story time.

Library workers sorted through 40,000 books to make this happen! We are so thankful to have this great facility back where many young readers in the Kanawha Valley first got their start.

Thank you to our Read Aloud West Virginia-Kanawha County volunteers who gave out books on Sunday to a big crowd of children at "The Jungle" Basketball Tournament on Charleston's West Side.

The tournament is now played annually to honor Jon’Tavese “Jon” Brown, who died at 21 years old due to COVID-19. Jon started this event in 2020 to keep young people active and engaged with the community during the pandemic.

Thank you to Hearts United for inviting us out. We hope everyone enjoys their summer reading!

Thank you to Katy McQuaid, Deborah Grieger, and our other wonderful Read Aloud WV of Hampshire County volunteers for getting these books to students at Slanesville Elementary! Every 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade student received a copy of Katy's "Everybody Loves Grace."

https://www.hampshirereview.com/living/article_1b35bc46-2e56-11ef-bc22-1f4a6e21e16d.html

Read this informative recap of Read Aloud WV of Jackson County's activity over the last school year in the latest Jackson Star and Herald. More than 5,600 books were given out in the county this year thanks to the dedication from the chapter's volunteers.

"The smiles, hugs, thank yous, and comments we hear are our rewards," said Chapter President Janet McCauley.

https://www.wvnews.com/jacksonnews/if-you-give-a-child-a-book/article_de3114f8-2c1b-11ef-abef-cf31f20eb4d2.html

Some wonderful photos of students following our recent book distribution at Third Ward Elementary School in Elkins, Randolph County. We hope all these students enjoy their new book. Just in time for summer!

2,400 books! Wow! What an accomplishment by our Read Aloud WV of Jackson County volunteers. Thank you for making this happen. We hope students enjoy their summer!

Read Aloud WV donated baby board books to Big Creek People in Action, a hard-working nonprofit in Caretta, McDowell County, for a community baby shower last week. Over 100 families received books, diapers, toys, informational material, and more thanks to many regional businesses and community organizations.

Thank you again to Big Creek People for valuing reading to your child from birth, and for connecting families to these extremely important services!