Cranbrook, B.C. September – Community leaders and volunteers will join Black Press, Kootenay Savings Credit Union and the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy on October 7th to raise awareness about the importance of literacy and to celebrate the power literacy has in Cranbrook.
The 5th Annual Reach a Reader campaign will raise funds for Cranbrook’s community-based literacy programs.
Why literacy? Statistics indicate that up to 45 per cent of BC’s adult population has difficulty with some daily living tasks - due in part to limited literacy skills. These include reading a newspaper, filling out an application form, reading a map, or understanding a lease.
“Literacy is not just the ability to read or write. People today must be able to fill out online materials, service agreements, job applications, and use social media,” says local Community Literacy Coordinator, Katherine Hough. “Through our Reach a Reader campaign, we hope to increase awareness of literacy needs in our community and raise funds to support the literacy programs and services available for children, families, adults, and seniors.”
In Cranbrook, funds will help support the Young Parents Education Program. This program helps parents with pre-school aged children who have not completed Grade 12 achieve their diploma and receive life, parenting, and work skills. Participants have gone on to advanced education and improved their employment opportunities. One young mom said “being in the program gave me the confidence to make significant life-style changes and succeed.”
You can support the Reach a Reader campaign by making a donation in exchange for a special edition of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman and the Advertiser on October 7th. Volunteers will be on the street with papers in hand throughout the community between 11 am and 3 pm. You may also donate online at chimp.net/groups/cranbrook-reach-a-reader-campaign.
To learn more about community-based literacy programs in Cranbrook contact Katherine Hough, Cranbrook’s Community Literacy Coordinator, at cranbrookcoordinator@cbal.org or go to cbal.org/cranbrook.
About Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy:
The Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy (CBAL) is a not-for-profit organization that develops, promotes and delivers literacy and essential skills services for people of all ages in the Columbia Basin and Boundary regions. CBAL's 16 Community Literacy Coordinators provide services in 77 communities, working with local literacy advisory committees to develop effective literacy programs and resources in the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy.