Lead to Read

A new year brings about new resolutions, new ideas and a renewed energy. One of our New Year’s resolutions is to mobilize ourselves around an important community need: Literacy.

We are encouraging all troops and service units to become involved in meaningful and age-appropriate ways in March. Whether your group chooses to focus on early childhood, English language learners, family literacy or some other dimension, they will help others and reinforce their own understanding of the importance of reading.

We will celebrate Girl Scout Week, March 6-12, by highlighting some of the creative and helpful service projects that our Girl Scout troops are carrying out to promote literacy. E-mail Lori Brougher, our communications director, by February 28 with a brief description of your project, if you would like to be considered for media coverage during Girl Scout Week. Be sure to mention what training, skill development, and leadership experience the girls are gaining.

Complete a service project summary and submit to the Girl Scout Service Center by April 30. Commemorative participation patches will be available to purchase in the Council Shop.

Listed below are suggested ideas to get your troop’s planning session started.

• Build a library/reading corner at a local shelter or youth serving agency

• Host a Read-In – designate a time, and date where your troop, service unit or association families agree to read

• Begin a book swap – purchase, read and share books with a sister troop, service unit every month

• Offer to decorate bulletin boards at the local library encouraging reading

• Tutor and read with students who need to improve their abilities

• Adopt a nursing home and collect books and articles for residents and record on audio tape

• Collect new books and donate to a daycare or preschool center

• Volunteer to read during story/skit time at the library

• Create a puppet show using favorite children’s book characters

• Make/decorate bookmarks and donate them for use at book stores or libraries for patrons

• Use our Girl Scout Read to Lead booklets, available through the Resource Library and for sale at the Council Shop.

• Meet the book challenge: read 25 books in 2005.