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Walmart Foundation grant gives Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe a ‘Bright Spot for Reading’

Special to the Sun

KINGS BEACH, Calif. – In recognition of National Library Week (April 10-16) and Support Teen Literature Day (April 14), Boys & Girls Clubs of America announces the expansion of its reading initiative that promotes both educational and leisure reading for tweens and teens through a $1.15 million grant from the Walmart Foundation. The Bright Spot for Reading initiative will be added to 100 Boys & Girls Clubs across the U.S. to create a dedicated reading center for members.According to the 2009 Reading Report Card, only 33 percent of fourth graders are reading proficiently and 17 percent of low-income fourth-grade students are reading well. By the eighth grade, the reading proficiency rate drops to 32 percent for all students and 16 percent for low-income eighth-grade students.The Walmart Foundation previously funded BGCA with $1.4 million for Bright Spot for Reading initiatives at 100 Clubs in the U.S. Since that time, it’s estimated more than 6,000 young people are actively reading in Bright Spots and 40 percent of Clubs have seen an increase in teen participation. The new $1.15 million grant will expand the Walmart Foundation’s Bright Spot for Reading initiative to include an additional 100 Bright Spots at Clubs across the U.S. including one in Kings Beach at the Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe. “The Walmart Foundation’s Bright Spot for Reading initiative is essential in motivating our youth to read and preparing them for academic success,” said Isabelle R. Wilson, executive director, BGCNLT, “We are grateful to the Walmart Foundation for the opportunity to create an environment that will encourage and allow our youth to enjoy and develop a lifelong love of reading.”The “Bright Spot” will feature books targeting young people ages 11 to 15; including programs to encourage BGCNLT members to read more and develop a positive attitude toward reading. Teens at BGCNLT can now participate in a book club, take field trips to local libraries and spend quiet time reading in the teen center daily. BGCNLT will also strengthen existing and develop new relationships with local libraries to enhance its programs and services. Specifically, BGCNLT and the Incline Village Library have partnered to offer more teens the opportunity to explore the library and access its resources. In addition to the Club’s new Bright Spot Reading Centers, Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s teen web site http://www.myclubmylife.com will continue to serve as a resource to promote the reading initiative; highlight age-appropriate books and book reviews and encourage tweens and teens to read more and share their reading experiences with others.- Submitted to aedgett@sierrasun.com


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