Wisconsin Bookwormsâ„¢ Program receives grant

Photo by Sanja Gjenero via morgueFile.com

Photo by Sanja Gjenero via morgueFile.com

The Kenosha County Association for Home and Community Education (KCAHCE) Wisconsin Bookwormsâ„¢ Program recently received a $250.00 grant from the Shopko Foundation. Andrew Hagner, customer service manager of the Kenosha store, presented a check to Karen Dietz, KCAHCE Wisconsin Bookworms co-chair, on behalf of the Shopko Foundation.

Wisconsin Bookworms is a local literacy program that has put over 9,000 free books in the hands and homes of “at risk” children in Kenosha County. KCAHCE began participating in the Wisconsin Bookwormsâ„¢ literacy project in 1999 when volunteers read to 34 children. It has expanded each year and volunteers now read to 220 children enrolled in Head Start programs at Westosha Head Start Center in Wilmot and Cesar Chavez Learning Station in Kenosha and distributed 1400 books in the 2012 – 2013 school year.

Each school year, volunteers read to the Head Start classes and then each child is presented with a book that is personalized with a bookplate inside the front cover with their name. Inserted in the back of each book is an activity sheet to be used at home to help further generate interest in reading by suggesting a fun activity that ties into the story and creates interaction between the child and family member. The sheet also provides recommendations for other books with similar themes or by the same author in an effort to motivate them to search out additional books through their local library.

Financial support of this literacy program is accomplished through grants and fund raising efforts of KCAHCE volunteers. Tax deductible financial donations can be made to KCAHCE Wisconsin Bookwormsâ„¢ and mailed to UW Extension-Kenosha, PO Box 550, Bristol, WI 53104.

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