Our Partner Spotlight is on Foundation Communities! For over three years, we’ve collaborated with Foundation Communities to host family literacy events. These events were held for their after school and PreK-3 preschool programs. More than 1,000 children attend their free learning programs at their on-site Learning Centers.
Through our partnership, we’ve promoted literacy through fun enrichment activities, engaging read-alouds, and most importantly helped families build their home libraries.
Pre-Pandemic Events (Then)
At every event, families had an ample selection of books that ranged from festive themes to culturally diverse books. Bianca Michuda, Community Engagement Coordinator- St. Elmo Neighborhood Project said, “We have received books written in both Spanish and English as well as books featuring African Americans. We have even been fortunate enough to receive books in Arabic and other less-common languages that our families need. The personalization and adaptability that I have experienced from BookSpring over the years have definitely served them well in the midst of the current pandemic.”
Virtual Events (Now)
This year we shifted events to virtual read-alouds on Zoom and were able to engage these families in a new way! During the December read-aloud for PreK-3, staff and volunteers read snow-themed books in both English and Spanish. The volunteer’s prompts were met with excited responses and smiles. The online events were a success!
Bianca added, “What most impresses me is how well they have been able to personalize the experiences for our different populations by tailoring activities and stories to the age group, demographics, and season! BookSpring staff and volunteers are always thoughtful and intentional in their interactions. This draws the families to participate in the fun.”
We definitely look forward to continued collaborations with Foundation Communities to serve their residents! Other nonprofits and community organizations interested in collaborating with us should check out our Delivered Partnerships.
Register for the Family Readathon!
The 2021 Family Readathon is a great way to bring solo readers or small teams together in supporting the importance of books at home and reading together as a family or community.
[maxbutton id=”1″ text=”Register Now” url=”https://familyreadathon.bookspring.org/register/“]