Christmas gifting...

...of an unusual sort. In these days, most folks get a barrage of invitations to donate to various non-profits at the end of the year. Everyone is making an effort to do last minute fund-raising under the guise of a providing a tax deduction for people looking for ways to minimize Uncle Sams' bite before the next tax season. Places like Heifer and Habitat would love to have benefit from your generosity at year end, when you can 'shop' without shopping and benefit the needs of the underserved all over the planet.

A letter came a couple of weeks ago, asking if I would be interested in supporting childhood literacy. The Ferst Foundation is an organization that provides books to children to help promote a desire to learn to read long before they are actually capable of reading. The parents can make the contact to have an age appropriate book sent to the home every month for a year. Parents are provided with information, guidance and support to help them learn ways to encourage and support the early learning, develop the readiness skills that precede the actual reading.

Things like looking at the illustrations, talking about what you can see, imagining what is happening by studying the pictures on each page, or guessing what might happen on the next page. Things an experienced reader does by  rote, like starting at the front of the book, and learning to 'track' from left to right  - the way English is written. Beginning to identify letters, and eventually 'sight words', that little people need to know when they start school. Looking for details, colors, shapes in illustrations.

I am all about literacy. I have been volunteering for several years, going into elementary schools, spending time with four or five year olds, reading books and developing skills. So yes, I would be interested in supporting this. And decided I should put my money where my mouth is. I sent in a donation. All those people who usually get the cards telling about the gift of a rabbit, or beehive or ducks are getting even less this year. But some little kid who has parents that want them to be a rung ahead on the ladder to success will be getting a book every month. Though you won't actually hear 'thank you', you and I have (hopefully) made a difference.