Editorial: This is a way village works on literacy
While students and parents get ready to go back to school, members of the community are helping out. Back-to-school giveaways abound. But one member of the community is thinking as a member of the village, trying to help raise the children.
Andrew Snorton, a Wake Forest University alumnus, will celebrate his birthday this month, and he is planning a party of sorts. He is inviting the community.
He will coordinate a program called “The Literacy Project” to take place on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Malloy-Jordan East Winston Heritage Center, 1110 E. Seventh St. in Winston-Salem.
Snorton says he wants to push and encourage students in grades K-12 and adults to embrace and improve their consistency with reading.
“It’s something I want to do as it ties in with my birthday,” which is Aug. 31, Snorton said. “I’ve always done a community service and outreach piece when celebrating my birthday; this year, my focus is on the encouragement of reading, as it truly is a powerful means of learning.”
As part of the program, group readings will be conducted to help demonstrate and model the over-all importance of reading.
He asks that those who attend the program bring a book. He has a list of the kinds he would like to see. Or, people can donate a gift card from a local bookstore in an amount ranging from $8 to $31.
The emphasis on books doesn’t stop there. Any books that are not picked up during the book exchange will be donated to a local school or schools, library or other community-based organization. (See story on page B8.)
This is a novel idea to help spread readership. Snorton realizes how important it is.
Who in the village will work with Snorton to help people read? What other ideas are out there to help break the chains holding back people who can’t read?
Reading is so fundamental that a TV drama featured a young criminal who killed the wrong person because he couldn’t read the name of a street on a map and got the wrong address of the alleged vic-tim.
Reading can lead to self-esteem. Reading can open doors. Reading can lead to good jobs.
Let’s rebuild the village to lead children to the right address: the one that leads to success.
