R is for Reading, H is for Hawk
Contributed by Alys Culhane
The Bright Lights Book Project is a nonprofit organization. Our work originally (and still) centers around our mission statement, which is “To put free books into the hands of appreciative readers.” Our primary word of mouth advertising has enabled us to keep books moving. The percentage of books that we deem unfit for reading consumption is minimal. Add restore and repair books to the list of things we do, in order to increase the shelf life of existent books.
This spring, we resumed stocking the Bugge Park Little Library, and put an additional little library, donated to us by Beacon Hill Family Services, in the City of Palmer Amoosement Park. And we added several painted newspaper boxes to our routes. We’ve also continued to stock BLBP bookcases. We’ve cast a wide net in that BLBP bookcases are located in Palmer, Wasilla, and Eagle River businesses. (For a list of our distribution sites, check out our website, www.brightlightsbookproject.org).
Our volunteer base has been growing, with book cleaning, sorting, and distributing children’s books. Book cleaning has evolved into a form of social networking. Here, book lovers meet and talk with other book lovers. This has enabled us to further talk with volunteers as to what we do and why we are doing it.
As of late, we’ve been putting more of a focus on our vision statement. It reads: “Envisioning the power of literacy to change lives.” The above-mentioned, all-important statistic that has given BLBP Board members and volunteers reason to pause is this statistic: Alaska has the lowest third grade reading level in the country. Read this statement again and think about it. The consequences of these individuals being subliterate will have a deleterious effect on us all, because being unable to read narrows one’s world view. It also curtails the ability to make sound decisions as an electorate.
Making books readily available to those of all ages was, the BLBP board agreed, a step in the right direction. However, we all concurred that we need to do more. This, I knew, was going to be a tough call because we have a limited volunteer base. Expanding our efforts in order to honor our mission statement thus seemed daunting.
I wanted to wait until we had our own building, one with enough space for a full-blown literacy project. However, I soon realized that Alaska’s subliterate population cannot wait. We began working with limited space by first hosting in-house events. Since January, we’ve held two Dr. Seuss Days, a D is for Dog Day, and an Open Mic Reading. Our two most recent events were in May. The first was Who Let the Books Out? And the second was H is for Hawk. Interactive activities (and this includes a story time) are now a mainstay of our Eagle Hotel based events. H is for Hawk is a good example. We read books, and using instruction manuals, made paper airplanes, which we put to the test outside the hotel.
After, a dozen children remained rapt as Pam Hucyk read a book acquired from the Mat-Su School District Warehouse. The high point of the event was the appearance of Rhett, a Red-Tailed Hawk. He sat quietly on the arm Shannon Jenson, the Executive Director of the Alaska Wildbird Rehabilitation Center, as she talked about him and hawk behavior in general. This, I thought, as the children sat rapt, is an example of environmental literacy.
Our literacy-based focus has extended to external events. Story time and interactive events, which are a focal part of our vision statement, are synonymous with our mission statement, which will always center around getting books into the hands of appreciative readers.
The BLBP board has also been casting a wide net, research-wise, in attempting to figure out what, in the future, literacy-based programs we might offer. For example, BLBP Board Member and Volunteer Coordinator Pam Huyck and I attended the Science of Reading Symposium in Anchorage in April. There we talked with countless educators about what might be most realistic and beneficial to individuals in the Mat-Su Community.
We’ll expand upon our literacy related efforts by holding more formal classes, starting in September. Our programs will include but not be limited to Parents read to Children/Children read to Parents and Seniors read to Children/Children read to Seniors and Teens Read to Children/Children read to Teens. We’ll include a writing component as well. I am also going to teach a class called Memoir, Memory, and Memorabilia. Here, writers of all ages will use objects, triggers, in coming up with their own stories. And who knows? We might also publish a book at the conclusion of this class.
Our volunteer base will include seniors, parents, and teens. If you are interested in giving us an assist with our fledgling program, contact BLBP Executive Director Alys Culhane at Director@BrightLightsBookProject.org.