Archway Partnership Young Child Work Group Member Named Citizen of the Week

On Saturday, July 20, Archway Partnership Young Child Work Group member and Family Support Council Success By Six Director Tom Bartley was named the Citizen of the Week by the Dalton Daily Citizen.  Tom was recognized for dedicating his time volunteering at the Readers to Leaders 2nd Annual Community Literacy Celebration on July 18.  During the celebration he dressed up as the Cat in the Hat to greet and take photos with hundreds of children who attended the event.   Tom set the mood of the event and raised the excitement for all of the event participants.

To read this article please go to: http://daltondailycitizen.com/opinion/x1724758178/Citizen-of-the-Week-Tom-Bartley

To see photos of Tom in character, check out the Cat in the Hat album on R2L’s Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/R2LDaltonWhitfield

2nd Annual Community Literacy Celebration

On Thursday, July 18, community members of all ages gathered at the Mack Gaston Community Center to attend the 2^nd Annual Community Literacy Celebration!  The registration line was out the door with hundreds of Dalton-Whitfield residents excited for the festivities.  At registration each family received a goody bag which included educational information. 

 

 

R2L Committee member Brian Cooksey at registration handing out the goody bags.

After registering, each child walked down the red carpet to meet and have their photo made with the Cat in the Hat.  The famous book character ignited the excitement of the kids as they entered the event!


Special guest Cat in the Hat (Tom Bartley, Family Support Council Success By Six Director) welcomed each child to the event.

During the event the children enjoyed reading circles with books for every reading level.  At the reading circles, volunteers read to the children and the children also read to the volunteers.  After a book was read the child documented the book they read on a poster board. 



Children listening to a book being read at the event!

Children excited to record the books they read!

The participants also enjoyed several crafts during the event.  Each family received a bin to store books at home.  At the event they enjoyed decorating their bins and also made their own book marks, hand fans, and stick puppets. 

Event participants drawing a tow truck on their bin.

Information booths were set up around the gym for the families to receive valuable information on services available in Dalton-Whitfield County.  These booths included: WIC and the Whitfield County Health Department, United Way of Northwest Georgia, Adult Education of Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Boys and Girls Club, Family Support Council, Kool Smiles, AmeriGroup, and Promotoras de Salud.  Big Red Reads and the Northwest Georgia Regional Library donated books for every child at the Celebration and the Girl Scouts provided face painting for the children. 

 

A volunteer at the Northwest Georgia Regional Library booth helps the children pick out free books. 

 

Healthy snacks were provided for every person who attended the event.  Participants enjoyed bananas, apples, carrots, water, and more which were donated by Whitfield County Schools. 

R2L Committee member Suzanne Harbin (Left) with her healthy snack crew before the event.

Throughout the afternoon children and their parents were presented with complimentary items to take home.  They received free books, pencils, stickers, wristbands, a Readers to Leaders t-shirt, and other special treats. 

Archway Education Professional Katy Green handing out free wristbands at the event. 

After the fun filled afternoon of reading, crafts, snacks, and goodies the children who participated in the literacy event ended the day playing at the splash pad!

Fun in the sun at the splash pad!

The 2^nd Annual Community Literacy Celebration was a huge success!  This event would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the Readers to Leaders Committee, local volunteers, and sponsors.  Thank you to everyone who participated!

Check out the following letter to the editor by Readers to Leaders Chair Pam Partain thanking our volunteers:  http://daltondailycitizen.com/opinion/x751142681/Letter-Profoundly-grateful

Members of the Readers to Leaders Committee.

R2L Sponsors.

Orientation for New Archway Executive Committee

On Monday, July 8, Dalton-Whitfield Archway Partnership hosted an orientation for fourteen new Executive Committee members.  New members represent elected officials for the city, county, and both school systems; large and small local businesses; the arts community; the Chamber of Commerce board; Dalton State College’s athletics department; Dalton Utilities; the Northwest Georgia Healthcare Partnership; and local community members.  New members joined incoming Chairman Lynn Laughter and Co-Chair Don Cope and outgoing Chair Rick Hooper and Co-Chair John Schwenn to learn about Archway, ask questions, and think about their role in the upcoming year.      

Grow Greater Dalton Investment Council Chairman John Neal (Left) and Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce Chair-Elect Robert Smalley (Right) look on as Dalton Public Schools Board Chairman Danny Crutchfield participates in an orientation activity. 

Readers to Leaders Presents to Kiwanis Club

On Monday, July 1, members of the Readers to Leaders (R2L) Workforce Development Team spoke to the Kiwanis Club of Dalton about evolving community literacy efforts.  Merry Boggs, Director of Elementary Curriculum for Whitfield County Schools, spoke of the inception of the R2L movement in 2012, highlighting the Commitment to Literacy Press Conference and the First Annual Literacy Celebration in summer 2012.  Pam Partain, Readers to Leaders Chair and Dalton State College Director of Marketing and Communications, passionately described the public schools’ commitment to literacy and the need for community-wide support for literacy. 

R2L members before presenting to Kiwanis Club of Dalton.  From left to right, Archway Professional Melissa Lu, Director of Elementary Curriculum for Whitfield County Schools Merry Boggs, Southeast High School Principal Karey Williams, Dalton Public Schools Gifted Program Coordinator Lisa Hackney, Readers to Leaders Chair and Dalton State College Director of Marketing and Communications Pam Partain, and Readers to Leaders AmeriCorps Vista Marlen Rodriguez.

Lisa Hackney, Dalton Public Schools Gifted Program Coordinator, spoke about how much of a child’s success begins in the home and the steps R2L is taking to provide parents and children with access to educational resources.  She spoke about local trainings provided by University of Georgia faculty to help teachers build better home-school partnerships with parents, this year’s community-wide Pre-K registration emphasizing school readiness and literacy, increased participation in summer reading programs, and the Second Annual Literacy Celebration scheduled for July 18, 2013.  Marlen Rodriguez, Readers to Leaders AmeriCorps Vista, spoke about R2L’s partnership with the library and the library’s involvement in community outreach activities.  She shared that over 500 children have participated in summer reading programs to date. 

Members of Kiwanis listening to the R2L presentation.

Melissa Lu, Dalton-Whitfield Archway Professional, discussed the community’s desire to prepare young children for school success before they reach kindergarten.  As a result of the community’s commitment to this area, Archway Education Professional Katy Green was hired to pilot new initiatives and explore new collaborations to support Dalton-Whitfield’s prenatal to Pre-K population.  Karey Williams, Assistant Superintendent for Whitfield County Schools, concluded the presentation to Kiwanis by stating the important role partnerships play in improving literacy in the Dalton-Whitfield community. 

To review Dalton Daily Citizen coverage of the presentation, please click on the following link: http://daltondailycitizen.com/local/x1614269505/Volunteers-spreading-benefits-of-literacy.

 

 

Faith Community Gets Involved With Readers to Leaders

On Thursday, June 20, representatives from area churches met at the Mack Gaston Community Center to hear Dalton-Whitfield Public Library Board of Trustees Member and Northwest Georgia Regional Library Board System Chair Elizabeth Chadwick, Readers to Leaders Chair Pam Partain, and AmeriCorps Vista Marlen Rodriguez share information about the Reach Out and Read (ROR) program and ways the faith based community can get involved.  ROR is an evidence-based nonprofit organization that promotes early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading.  R2L and the Dalton-Whitfield County Library Board are working in partnership with White’s Pediatrics of Dalton and Rockbridge Community Church and interested members of the faith community to pilot this program this fall at White’s Pediatrics.  If your church would like to get involved with ROR please email Marlen Rodriguez marlen.rodriguez@ngrl.org.

To learn more about ROR, please go to the following link: http://daltondailycitizen.com/local/x182743450/Leaders-look-to-feed-reader-program