Washington Reading Corps: Impacts of National Service and the ...

COMMUNITY AND PRIVATE SECTORCONTRIBUTIONSIn addition to the tutoring assistance they provide to the Washington Reading Corps,AmeriCorps/VISTA members have played an instrumental role in generating cash, in-kinddonations, and other resources for the WRC from the community as well as private sector.Since the inception of the WRC, the Governor’s Office has devoted significant time to hostingcommunity meetings with companies, foundations, civic groups, and citizens, inviting them toassist struggling readers.Based on the data submitted monthly by AmeriCorps/VISTA members across the state, in the1999-2000 year, national service members generated 945 donations to the Reading Corps,totaling $608,046. This is, if anything, an underestimate, since many small donations (especiallyof food) sometimes go undocumented.The types of contributions vary, but they fall into the following categories:• BooksPublic resources cannot be used to give a gift, so Reading Corps funds could not providestruggling readers with their own books. Since many of these students may not have booksat home, this is a critical need. To address this, businesses, community groups, andindividuals made donations of books, totaling $365,140, so that Reading Corps studentscould have access to books. The Reading Corps partnered with Books for Kids, a nonprofitchildren’s literacy program, in order to distribute thousands of new books tostruggling readers around the state. In the 1999-2000 school year nearly $40,000 worth ofchildren’s books were distributed to students as a result of donations to Books for Kids thatwere directed to the Reading Corps.• Food for EventsTargeted Reading Corps students are often involved in after-school reading programs,summer programs, and literacy events. Food is an important element at these programs,particularly the after-school ones, so that the children are not hungry while they are learning.Community and private sector organizations made food donations worth $11,385.• Student Incentives and Volunteer RecognitionTo reward WRC students, tutors often give them some sort of gift or incentive. These mayinclude pencils, stickers, t-shirts, or certificates to local fast food restaurants. In addition,schools often provide their community tutors with small gifts of appreciation, such ascoupons for coffee. Local businesses statewide have shown significant support in this area,making donations worth $56,489.27