We know Thanksgiving was last week, but this week at the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) we’re feeling pretty darn thankful.

We’re thankful for the many generous donors who gave 359 children’s books and dynamic literacy programming to the kids we serve for #GivingTuesday, and all our supporters who have donated so far this year. Your gifts have helped nurture a love of reading and writing in thousands of low-income, at-risk, and rural children in New Hampshire and Vermont, and allow us to look forward to serving even more kids and families in 2018!

            

 

Every week, CLiF’s inspiring presenters share stories with kids and families; new books arrive at public libraries, schools, and programs serving low-income, at-risk and rural kids; and children get to choose their very own books to take home because of your support.

Today alone, the elementary schools sponsored by CLiF’s Year of the Book program are celebrating:

• Author Visits: Author/illustrator Jason Chin shares his illustrations and process of developing his popular non-fiction picture books with students at the Sustainability Academy in Burlington, VT as part of their year-long Year of the Book sponsorship that brings presentations, literacy events, new books to the school and local Fletcher Free Library, and ten new books for each child to choose throughout the year;

  

   

• Family Literacy Celebrations: One of the goals of our Year of the Book program for elementary schools is to engage parents and families in their child’s literacy development. The program includes family literacy celebrations, which include a free meal for families, CLiF presenters talking to parents and families about the importance of reading with young kids and strategies to make it fun and easy, storytelling, and parents choosing two new books for each of their kids (this time of year, many schools have volunteers wrap the new books as holiday gifts). Today, we have two family literacy celebrations at CLiF Year of the Book schools: Author Marv Klaassen-Landis will visit Peterborough Elementary School in Peterborough, NH, and Author Doug Wilhelm visits Alburgh Community Education Center in Alburgh, VT.

 

• Library Event: Author/illustrator and musician Jim Arnosky will sing songs, give a demonstration of how he draws animals for his picture books, and tell stories to students at Salisbury Community School in Salisbury, VT. The school and local public librarians will talk about the $1,000 in new children’s books they each selected for their libraries as part of the grant, and how kids and their families can access them.

  

  This is just a small sample of the literacy programs and book giveaways you make possible when you donate to CLiF.

 

 

We’re also thankful for the the independent bookstores in VT and NH hosting book drives for CLiF this holiday season, and to all the book-loving customers who have purchased children’s books for kids in need. We’re especially thankful to everyone who came out for Bridgeside Books‘ “Books for a Cause” event on Giving Tuesday to kick off the giving season by collecting children’s books for the kids CLiF serves (with refreshments and live music!).

 

And we’re always thankful for the volunteers who make sure these books go out to the many elementary schools, libraries, childcare centers, after school programs, affordable housing units, and children of prison inmates we serve – with beautiful CLiF stickers for kids to write their names in!

This week, we’re also thankful for our friends at Common GoodVT/CCTV Chanel 17 in Burlington, VT for hosting us and other nonprofit leaders talking about our fundraising efforts on GivingTuesday. You can watch the full video of that conversation here.

Thank you to all who have helped CLiF give these inspiring educational experiences and new books to kids in need. We appreciate all of your support, advocacy, time, and efforts to share the joy of literacy with children in our region!