Raising readers is as easy as pie

One slice of pumpkin pie averages 323 calories. Walking 40 minutes will burn approximately 100 calories. Signing up for the first ever virtual READ, FUN RUN/WALK will prepare you to enjoy guiltfree pie on Thanksgiving and support children’s literacy at the same time.

Children’s Reading Alliance and the Dyslexia Institute of Southern New Mexico have created the perfect event to get everyone outside earning the calories we are sure to consume this holiday season. Simply register at https://bit.ly/2TCvP43. Choose a goal and sign up a few sponsors. Every participant wins a book and a certificate. Beautiful gift baskets will go to winners for most money raised, most pledges and happiest

When you finish walking, enjoy listening to Girl Scouts read to you on the Children’s Reading Alliance Facebook page.

Girl Scouts in Troop 51123 are raising their voices to encourage young children to enjoy books. Eleanor, Katelynn, and Savannah, all age 13, have teamed up together to earn their Silver Award badges by working on an issue they care about: reading.

Their Troop leader, Jeanette Skow said, “Silver Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn as a Cadette (sixth, seventh, or eighth grade). Girls focus on an issue they care about, build a team, explore their community, plan and take action. The girls have decided to partner with the Children’s Reading Alliance to bring reading into the lives of young children in their community.”

Each month the girls choose a theme. “For the first month,” Savannah said, “with Election Day just past, books with a voting theme was my choice. I know that the story times will be a fun break for kids to develop reading comprehension and still have fun.”

For Katelynn, choosing a project that would be personally challenging was part of her motivation.

“This is meaningful for me personally because I get nervous talking out loud to big groups or people I am not comfortable with, and this project can help me with that a little,“ she said. „Reading is important, because we use it everyday of our lives, and it can be difficult if you don‘t know how to read that well. That’s why it‘s important to teach children at a young age.“

The girls found the job of coordinating remotely while videotaping themselves from home to be tricky. Ellie says, “Recording the video was sometimes challenging but it was worth it ,because we get to help kids and put a smile on their faces.“

Girl Scouts is open to all girls in grades kindergarten through 12th grade. Go to www.gsdsw.org (Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest) for more information.

To participate in READ, FUN, RUN/WALK, visit https://bit.ly/2TCvP43 or call Jennifer at (575) 522-3713 or Dixie at (575) 571-5848 or email jalvarado@childrensreadingalliance.org  or dyslexia-institute@zianet.com. Donations can be made at www.childrensreadingallliance.org or www.disnm.org.

If your idea of exercise is shopping on-line, you too can help raise money for books. Select Children’s Reading Alliance on Amazon Smile. It costs you nothing and Amazon contributes to our community’s children with every purchase.