By: Jackie Kajos

Social Venture Partners Greater Tucson is delighted to announce the Launch of our 2011 Grant Round!

SVPGT will be making multi-year grants in the area of literacy. SVPGT defines literacy as not only the ability to read, to write and to speak, but also the application of related skills which enable individuals of ages to participate fully in the workplace, the marketplace, and in day-to-day community life. If your organization addresses these needs within our community, you are encouraged to attend the launch and learn more!

We make grants through an investment process, beginning with a Community Wide Launch.

Join us for the Launch:

Wednesday, May 11^th, at 4 pm

Community Foundation for Southern Arizona

2250 E. Broadway Blvd

Tucson, AZ 85719

Please RSVP and direct questions to Executive Director Julia Waterfall-Kanter at julia@svpgt.org

PLEASE NOTE: In order to be considered for the Investment process, a representative from your organization must attend the Launch!

Our process is different from other organizations that make grants because we use a philanthropic venture-capitalist model, and encourage our partners to engage in strategic and active giving. Organizations are chosen for investment, which means they receive not only a grant, but time and expertise from our skilled and talented partners. We specialize in capacity-building, which includes but is not limited to development of core skills management practices, planning, strategies and systems, and sustainability.

Investees are chosen by a group of our partners who assess whether our organizations are a good fit, by evaluating applications, reviewing proposals, assessing needs and attending site visits.

Following the Launch, organizations are invited to submit Letters of Inquiry (LOI) by June 2^nd. You can find the Grant Round Timeline, Guidelines and Forms here. The investee announcement will be made on November 18, 2011. Come to our Grant Round Launch next week and learn more, we’d love to have you!

 

 

“A student who can’t read on grade level by 3rd grade is four times less likely to graduate by age 19 than a child who does read proficiently by that time. Add poverty to the mix, and a student is 13 times less likely to graduate on time than his or her proficient, wealthier peer.” –Education Week

Findings like this are no surprise to our investees, who already understand the importance of early childhood literacy and the challenges that children from low-income households face. That’s why our investees are committed to preventing children in Pima County from falling behind, and helping those who already have catch up.

Here’s how they are making an impact:

Make Way for Books aims to promote early childhood literacy in limited-resource areas through lending libraries, Storytime volunteers, training sessions, early literacy kits for babies, kits for school children during the summer, family literacy events, and book distribution.

Sunnyside Parents as Teachers gives parents the tool to promote school readiness and to increase parents’ understanding of childhood development through: at-home visits by Parent Educators to provide information, support and resources to parents of children from pregnancy to kindergarten, Stay and Plays at school, evening programs for fathers, library story hours, fieldtrips, developmental screenings and reading incentives

Reading Seed is working to improve community literacy by pairing volunteer reading coaches with children in grades 1 through 3 who are reading below grade level, distributing free books to children to promote independent reading, and providing a huge lending library for children K-12, that matches their reading abilities with their interests.

By: Jackie Kajos

Let’s celebrate, because our investees are making an undeniable impact in our community! SVPGT’s newest investee, Reading Seed, is a children’s literacy program that helps children in Pima County learn to read. They have a variety of programs to addressing community literacy, including and certainly not limited to a volunteer reading coach program to assist children reading below grade level in grades one through three. A total of 1300 volunteers are serving 3000 children in the community! And this program has measurable results! According to a pilot study by the College of Education at the University of Arizona, “87% of students working with Reading Seed coaches progressed at least one reading level in only two months.”

Reading Seed’s Recognition Celebration honored those volunteers and supporters that are making an impact in Tucson and the surrounding areas, helping children to improve their reading skills, fall in love with reading, and give them a foundation for learning. Take Phillip for example.

Phillip didn’t like reading before he started working with his Reading Coach. His mom, Xochtil, had tried to get him to read books, but he wouldn’t. So, his Reading Coach made a special effort to find books that Phillip might like. After he watched the first Harry Potter movie, his Reading Coach got him the first Harry Potter book, which he loved. When Phillip saw the movie Percy Jackson & the Olympians and really enjoyed it, his Reading Coach found him the book of the same title.

Now Phillip is a self-professed avid reader. He’s collected the entire Harry Potter and Perry Jackson series! And Phillip is more confident in school. When his teacher asked if he’d like to lead a special lesson of his choice one day, he said yes, and he’d like three days to do it! And now Xochtil volunteers at Reading Seed too because she truly believes in the program. The support of Reading Seed and his mother has paved Phillip’s road for school success.

In addition, Sunnyside School District Superintendent Manuel L. Isquierdo spoke about his progressive approach to improving graduation rates in SUSD with technological incentives through Project Graduation. Graduation rates have already increased, from 505 students in 2007 to 825 students in 2010! He commended the Reading Seed program for its impact on childhood literacy in SUSD, emphasizing that graduation starts in kindergarten and literacy is the foundation to school achievement.

We are also very appreciative for Reading Seed’s recognition of our partnership and capacity-building efforts. At the celebration, Lead Partner Ginny Griffis and Executive Director Julia Waterfall-Kanter accepted a certification of appreciation from Reading Seed. SVPGT has been working with Reading Seed on strategic planning and fund development. We very much look forward to cultivating our partnership over the next 2 ½ years!

 

By: Jackie Kajos

Volunteers and Friends of Make Way for Books

Our investee Make Way For Books’ 2011 Annual Open house was such a blast! It’s amazing to see how many people in the community are involved with MWFB and the tremendous impact they are making in Tucson. The evening honored MWFB Staff and Board Members and the dozens of dedicated Storytown and Storytime volunteers that help to make MWFB’s programs a possibility, some of who have been reading to preschoolers for as many as 11 or 13 years! Wow!

Peace Project & Pamela Simon

Executive Director Mary Jan Bancroft updated the attendees on MWFB’s projects, including the Picture Book Peace Project. The Picture Book Peace Project is designed to help promote peace through reading, by teaching children about helping, friendship, caring, cooperation, respect for the earth, and diversity. Make Way For Books offers free sets of picture books for classrooms in the Sunnyside School District Literacy Zone, and an early literacy workshop for educators about promoting peace through reading. New picture books are also available for children to take home, and are featured in the sharing library for Storytime volunteers to read to preschoolers.

Outreach Coordinator for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Pamela Simon

Outreach Coordinator for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Pamela Simon, who is a former middle school teacher, spoke at the Make Way For Books 2011 Open House about the Picture Book Peace Project. In lieu of the tragic events in Tucson in January, she emphasized the significance of teaching children the values of peace and caring from a young age. Pamela Simon also noted the importance of reading to children from the early age and how having a household that appreciates reading is vital for a child’s school success.

‘A Splendid Friend, Indeed’

Attendees were also entertained by a fun performance by the characters “Bear” and “Goose” from the book, A Splendid Friend, Indeed by Suzanne Bloom. The story is about a talkative goose who keeps interrupting his friend the quiet polar bear when he is reading and writing, and takes his book and pencil and paper. Bear is frustrated, but Goose writes him a note about how he is a “splendid friend” and bear realizes Goose if a great friend to him too. It’s a wonderful story of friendship, caring, and sharing, and perfect to honor the “splendid friends” of Make Way For Books!

“Goose” and “Bear” from A Splendid Friend, Indeed

It was a wonderful evening full of laughs, delicious food and drinks, good friends, dedicated volunteers and staff members, and most importantly the celebration of the love of reading!