Alpharetta YMCA and Alpharetta Rotary nurture Early Readers Program
Posted by Janet Ulrich
on Jan 25, 2015
On Wednesday, January 21 the Ed Isakson/Alpharetta Family YMCA held its initial "Read Right from the Start" Language and Literacy workshop. The half-day session is designed to train volunteers to read to children from the community at their local YMCA. This training follows and supports a 2014 literacy initiative at the Alpharetta Y, where a Children's Sharing Library was established through support of the Alpharetta Rotary Club. This workshop is proof that excellent programs are provided in the local community to strengthen a resolve toward better education and literacy.
Rotary International (RI) supports Literacy and Education programs worldwide via several means, and continually challenges its network of 34,000 individual clubs to find creative and sustainable ways to provide literacy-enhancing programs or activities in their local community. In 2014, through a grant from the Alpharetta Rotary Club, the Alpharetta Y established its Children's Sharing Library by purchasing over 100 scholastic books. The Alpharetta Rotary Club continues to provide books weekly to the exchange program and plans to provide ongoing support through volunteering to read to Y children.
Scott Doll, Executive Director of the Alpharetta Y and participant in the RRFTS workshop, pointed out that with over two thousand community children in after-school programs and 500 more in day camps daily, the potential impact from including such an instructional program at the local Y is far-reaching. He stated the Alpharetta Y plans to be a pilot program for a strong literacy and reading program. Mr. Doll also noted "Read Right from the Start marks the beginning of adding more value to the work we do for our youngest children". Lastly, he assured additional workshops will be offered at the Ed Isakson/Alpharetta Family YMCA this year.