CommUNITY is an out-of-school literacy program. We hosted our first event on November 17, 2001, at Koo KOO Roo Restaurant in West Los Angeles, California. CommUNITY focuses on educating parents about the importance of out-of-school reading habits on a daily basis. Our literacy programs include book readings with puppet shows, fire fighter teaching families about fire safety AND prevention. We also provide for FREE: toys, games, face painting for children to see and experience the enjoyment from reading good books. According to researchers in education, Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding, “Out-of-school reading habits of students has shown that even 15 minutes a day of independent reading can expose students to more than a million words of text in a year” - thereby increase reading comprehension levels which improve standardized test scores and ultimately reduce drop out rates. CommUNITY is organized by a community outreach team comprised of UCLA students that diligently work together throughout the year to provide summer out-of-school literacy programs to the general public. To continue to be a successful community based literacy program we need support and participation from the entire community, including: City Chamber of Commerce members and local business owners, schools, fire fighters, police officers, and families. Most importantly we need school principals to participate by distributing announcements to the parents to bring their children to CommUNITY programs. With the help of generous local businesses we provide CommUNITY literacy programs at NO cost to schools or parents.
Why CommUNITY
According to the U.S. Department of Education, children who have not developed some basic literacy skills by the time they enter school are 3 - 4 times more likely to drop out in later years. The U.S. Department of Education, A Nation Still at Risk, statistics reveal, since 1983, more than 10 million Americans reach the 12th grade without having learned to read at a basic level. Even California’s Department of Education, in the same period, reported more than 6 million students drop out of high school altogether, and 33% of children in California will not finish high school. According to the United Way, "Illiteracy: A National Crisis" It is estimated that the cost of illiteracy to business and the taxpayer is $20 billion per year. Renowned Educator and Author, Jonathan Kozol, Illiterate America, reiterates that 50 percent of American adults are unable to read an eighth grade level book. Our CommUNITY program addresses these issues and become part of the solution. Therefore, we implore you to help us to reach children explore the fun and enjoyment of reading.
Who benefits from CommUNITY
The CommUNITY literacy program’s objective is to promote a sense of community, while also raising money and awareness in the fight against illiteracy and the importance of education. Most importantly, however, we aim to inspire small businesses to become active members of their community by supporting and partnering with public schools, non-profit organizations, and education and literacy projects that ultimately alleviate the plight of working poor statistics. Students learn about safety from local fire fighters and experience the importance of out-of-school reading, and celebrities will be involved in the cause. Local businesses will be proactively involved in making a difference by contributing money, and signing-up for our employee-volunteer match opportunity, and more. Schools participate by distributing announcements to the parents to bring their children to CommUNITY out-of-school literacy programs. This is a charitable, non-profit event, and all proceeds are donated to the Jeanine Horowitz Education & Literacy Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, whose primary mission is to provide academic scholarship to working poor families.
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