Reading for Fun and Profit
Ten ways to celebrate International Literacy Day and make good use of the Lit Tab.
1. Sign On to Literacy - Sue Shafer, Tribune Chronicle in Warren, Ohio.
I have held a Sign on To Literacy Campaign for several years. The following is miscellaneous information regarding my Sign On project.
- I usually publish the page in November, National Family Literacy month. I have also published in September on International Literacy Day.
- I ask a "well-known" person in the community to endorse the project. He or she is pictured in an in-paper ad, and a quote concerning literacy is included. This has been very instrumental in securing additional signatures.
- There is a $20 requested donation with each signature, and there have been signatures printed without a donation.
- I list my NIE sponsors on the page, too.
- I mail a flyer to each person who donated in previous years, and I take flyers to meetings where I serve on community literacy-related committees. The publisher and editor also take them to their respective civic organizations (Lion's Club, Kiwanis, Rotary, etc.), and the local Adult Basic Literacy Education group assists me.
- Through a business connection, we were able to secure the signature of Ohio's governor and his wife (Gov. and Mrs. Bob Taft) and the presidents of our local colleges. That added credibility to our literacy campaign as did the other community leaders' endorsements.
2. "We the People" Literacy Page - Kim Holm, The San Diego Union-Tribune.
We have a very successful signature project which we call "We the People" Literacy Page. It publishes on the Sunday closest to International Literacy Day.
Last year's project brought in close to $50,000 for NIE with about 90 individuals signing the page.
We have signatures from George W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Billy Graham, Bill Cosby, Robert Goulet, Doug Flutie and many others in political office. Most of the just-mentioned names are non-paying. The remaining signatures come from businesses and community members who support literacy, and the levels of contribution range from $100 (NIE Board Members) to $3,000.
The VIP signatures are received with the help of our editor-in-chief who has contacts with the White House and other prominent personalities of our nation. The other signatures are obtained through a database mailing.
In the past six years it has grown tremendously, and this year we have scheduled a redesign of the page. It has moved in size from a "double-truck" to its current size of 4 pages. We are very proud of this page. One note: You must fashion your page to what best suits YOUR community.
Highlights from last year's Lit Tabs:
3. The Gazette in Education in Montreal used the centerspread of their Lit Tab for a "We Declare That Literacy Is Freedom" page. Signatures of local politicians and celebrities appeared over pictures of parents and children reading.
4. The centerspread of the Lit Tab of The Evansville (Ind.) Courier & Press was called "The A to Z's of Literacy." It is an advertisement for a Family Literacy Day taking place Sept. 8.
5. The Newspaper Network of Central Ohio featured their local cover art contest winners in a four-page insert of their Lit Tab.
6. The Journal Star in Peoria sold their centerspread as a Child Care Directory with 12 separate ads ranging from preschools to a YWCA learning center.
7. The Courier-Journal in Louisville sold their back page to Hawley-Cooke Booksellers, a local chain. The ad features children's book covers.
8. The Joplin (Mo.) Globe used the winning artwork as a cover for a broadsheet section called "Extra"–Experience the Reading Adventure. Inside are local literacy articles, plenty of ads, and a large picture of Katy Schrader, the educational services coordinator, along with a letter. It's a wonderful section.
9. ANG Newspapers in Oakland used their centerspread for a Sign on for Literacy page. The headline reads, "These community leaders are making a difference?"
10. The Enterprise in Brockton, Mass., featured a great house ad filled with students reading what else–The Enterprise! 