Be The Star You Are!® 501 (c)(3)

What the kids are saying about BE THE STAR YOU ARE!^™ literacy outreach program Reading SPELLS Success
(Comments are taken directly as received from the letters and cards from kids in juvenile hall facilities. No editing has be done, names are withheld for privacy)

"I love to be read to. As you know I am away from home from bad things I did in the past. And with 20 girls, things could get crazy around here! But when Nanna, the reader, comes I feel like a kid again. I even fall asleep. So you see it makes it so much more better to be here. Yes, I enjoy our reader."

"I enjoy you coming down to read to us! You’re cool and fun and sweet and most Monday nights I look forward to listening to you. I get all excited and hope you come. It’s really nice to have you around. Thank you."

"I think the reader is nice and sweet, I really appreciate her coming on her time to do stuff like this for us. Thank you."

"Well, it’s me, and I haven’t been here forever yet…but I am glad that I got to know a little about you. I do know that you are patient and calm. And you do show the girls in here lots of love and respect. And we’re glad that you take time out to do this with us because most people wouldn’t. A lot of thanks.”

"I really like it when you come on your own time to read to us. I oppreshiate it."

"Well, me, I love it when the reader comes. She is so nice and it’s not just that she reads good, but she also talks to us, all of us. She also tries to get us Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Her voice is very soothing so even if we don’t come out of our room to listen to her we still hear her though out doors. And her voice helps me sleep. I have problems with sleeping. But every Monday, I sleep great. I wish she would come and read every night. Not just so I could sleep but the story’s she reads are pretty cool. I like them. From hearing all the stories I started reading mostly Chicken Soup. I never read before so she has really helped me in many ways. I wish she could read more nights a week. I look forward to every Monday. We love listening to ‘THE READER’."

"I really like the reader because I get to get out of my room and she makes me sleep well sometimes.”

Be The Star You Are!™
Reading Spells SUCCESS:
A Literacy Outreach Program

Program Director: Patricia Hallberg
Volunteer Coordinator: Mr. Rey Deborja

Strategic Giving Focus: In the United States today, twenty percent of today's adult population do not have the skills to even read a children's storybook. Other pertinent facts are that:

* The National Agenda for Education has outlined the requirements that all Americans will need for entry-level employment. These include:

(1) basic skills, such as communication and understanding in reading, writing, and speaking;
(2) thinking skills, such as problem solving, knowing how to learn, the generation of new ideas, setting goals, and choosing best alternatives; and
(3) personal qualities, such as responsibility, self esteem, sociability, self-management, integrity, and honesty.

* Exposing children to reading has a direct effect on their future achievements. The National Commission of Reading has found that the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.

* Adult literacy has a direct relationship on that of children. As the education level of adults increases, so does their children's success in school. Helping low-literate adults improve their basic skills has a direct and measurable impact on both the education and quality of life of their children. Children of adults who participate in literacy programs improve their grades and test scores, improve their reading skills, and are less likely to drop out of school.

* In the two county areas in which Be The Star You Are!™ operates (Alameda and Contra Costa), approximately 40% of the schools tested at the grade 11 level for reading using the Stanford 9 Total Reading test scored in bottom half of both the state and national reading level percentile.

Be The Star You Are!™ began "Reading Spells SUCCESS: A Literacy Outreach Program" through which its volunteers bring books from the organization's media library to hospitals, shelters, and children's groups, and read for periods of an hour at a time. Stories are discussed and books are given as a gift for those in attendance so that they can increase their awareness and literacy aptitude.

raise for our program:

“Thank you for providing such a wonderful service to our young people in custody. You accomplish great things and you are to be commended for your thoughtful work.” Shannon Grosenheider, Executive Administrator Juvenile Hall Auxiliary

“We appreciate the opportunity in helping to enrich lives needing to be nurtured. What better way than reading and listening as these are key processes of doing this. We are happy to participate.” Pat Berndt LITA (Love Is The Answer)

“The youngsters we provide service to would like to say “thank you”, for your very generous donation of new books. It is so important to these children to realize their self worth as they feel very disposable being locked up. When they receive a new book from you they see that they matter. The titles are fabulous and the kids totally enjoy reading them. It means a great deal to these children to be remembered, and your donation is often the only gift the children have ever received. Our hope is that your act of kindness will help generate good deeds in them. We can never thank you enough for all of your charitable gifts, and your thoughtful practice of remembering them each quarter. Your concern and generosity will insure that each of our young people know there are kind people in our community that care about them. They can go on.” Shannon Grosenheider, Executive Administrator Juvenile Hall Auxiliary

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Be The Star You Are!™
PO Box 376, Moraga, CA 94556
Tel: 877.944.STAR or 925.376.7126
Fax: 925.376.7142

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