During the two-year pandemic, Read for Life provided an estimated 20,000 books to Tulare County children. These gifts are made possible, in part, by your generous donations of gently used books.
Shelter Buddies Returns toBoost Literacy, Animal Adoptions
Shelter Buddies gives second and third-graders from four Visalia elementary schools an enhanced, expanded experience of improving their reading skills while helping Shelter animals find their forever homes. The program was developed by Read for Life in cooperation with ProYouth HEART and the Visalia Animal Care Center. Students at each ProYouth HEART after-school site take the Tulare County-run Loop Bus on six consecutive Tuesdays to the Visalia Animal Care Center to read aloud for one hour to animals up for adoption. Reading to the dogs helps to bring comfort to and reduce the anxiety of shelter animals, and it nurtures empathy in children while improving their ability to read. For program information, email nancy@readforlife.org.
2023 Read for Life Pass the Word scholarship awarded to senior at Golden West High School.
Enrique Martinez from Golden West High School is the recipient of the 2023 Pass the Word scholarship. The $1,000.00 award is given by Read for Life and the Visalia County Center Rotary.
Enrique founded Proyecto Ingles, which is a program designed to encourage Latino/Hispanic families to make literacy an essential aspect of their children's everyday lives. Enrique is graduating with a 4.25 grade point average and feels his success is due to his mother reading to him from an early age. This is noteworthy because his parents immigrated from Mexico with very little background in education. Enrique has spoken in Spanish to groups sharing his story and encouraging them to read with their children. His mother often joins in answering questions. He reached out to Read for Life to help him find speaking venues. Enrique is deciding between UCLA and Berkeley with a future goal of becoming a doctor and specializing in neurology.
The award is open to all graduating high school seniors in Tulare County who have performed a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer service outside of school which focuses on improving literacy. Eligible applicants must have a 3.2 GPA and plan to attend a college, university or vocational school in the U.S.
For information on the Pass the Word scholarship, email Susan Graves at susan@readforlife.org
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