On September 23rd, children's book author and puppeteer Anne Sawyer-Aitch will be completing a marathon! Sure it's great exercise, but her motivation comes from somewhere else. Here's what she had to say:
Will you walk a mile to give a kid a book? I will. In fact, I’ll walk twenty six. In the winter and spring of 2013, I’ll be touring the Spanish puppet show version of Nalah and the Pink Tiger to social service agencies that serve Latino children. Kids will not only get to see the puppet show, they’ll get to make a puppet too. Afterwards, each child will get their own copy of Nalah and the Pink Tiger to take home. Have I applied for a grant to do this? You bet. But Metropolitan Regional Arts Council grants require matching funding. For this project, I need to raise $2,400. To do this, I’m walking in the Community First Fox Cities Marathon in Appleton, WI, on September 23rd. You can help make this project a reality by sponsoring my walk.
Why do this? Because I want to get my book Nalah and the Pink Tiger into the hands of kids who may not have access to lots of books at home. If you need more reasons, read on.
According to the Latino Family Literacy Project, “The most critical years for a child’s development are Pre-K to 3rd grade….by the 4th grade, more than 80% of Latino school children in the U.S. cannot read at grade level.” The research of educator Lawrence Bains, author of A Teacher’s Guide to Multisensory Learning (ASCD, 2008) shows that activities that engage the senses and create an emotional response - such as making art, seeing a film, and hearing music - when associated with reading, can improve literacy. The Nalah and the Pink Tiger puppet show/art-making/book-giveaway is designed to be a small step in that direction. I hope you can support this project and cheer me on as I get ready for the long and winding road.
Thanks,
Anne Sawyer-Aitch
As of today, Anne has raised $1,249.00 of her $2,400 goal, or 52%. Visit her page to find out how you can help her meet her goal.
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