Oct 10
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This week is Raise-A-Reader week all across Canada. It is a valuable campaign to raise funding for school literacy programs in hopes of improving adult comprehension.
Statistics have shown that 40% of all adult Canadians have difficulty with basic reading and writing skills. This is a staggering fact that needs to be addressed. One-way is to start at ground zero: early education.
Encouraging Literacy in the Community
Public schools continue to receive budget cuts year-after-year and schools around the country depend on the money and supplies collected during campaigns like Raise-A-Reader.
Since its inception, the program has generated over 15 million dollars. One of the campaign’s main sponsors has been the daily newspapers. New outlets, like the Times Colonist, have been helping with Raise-A-Reader for years. For one day a year, the papers donate 100% of the money they generate from non-subscription sales. Obviously they have a keen interest in encouraging a literate society!
Mattress Choice is also keenly interested in encouraging reading, especially before bed. Reading brings families together, encourages information retrieval from sources other than the Internet and helps put children in the right mind space to fall asleep.
An easy way to help out, without digging into your pocketbook, is to donate any spare children’s books you have laying around the house to your nearest elementary school or public library. For monetary donations, visit their website.