We are pleased to announce our beloved 1000 Books Before Kindergarten/Read Aloud 15 champion extraordinaire, Ruth Sparks, has been recognized nationally for her hard work promoting Read Aloud 15 Minutes. Yay, Ruth! Well done!

Check out her achievements on the Read Aloud 15 Minutes champions page readaloud.org/champions.

Congratulations Ruth! You ROCK! Thank you for all you do for the children, for the library and for our community. And thank you to Rotary Club of Fort Bragg for supporting her efforts!

Let’s keep the momentum rolling!

Original email from Bob Robbins of Read Aloud 15 Minutes:

Read Aloud 15 MINUTES is proud to recognize five of its partners as Community Outreach Champions for their extraordinary work in spreading the urgent message about reading aloud daily for 15 minutes starting at birth.

Over the past year, Read Aloud 15 MINUTES has grown to more than 10,000 grassroots partners in all 50 states — partners who have helped deliver more than 100 million messages.  These five Community Outreach Champions distinguished themselves for their passion, dedication and ingenuity in recruiting more partners in their communities, innovating new programs and messages, and reaching more parents and caregivers with the Read Aloud 15 MINUTES message.

The 2016 honorees represent diverse areas of the country — from California to Florida to Missouri to Colorado; and diverse backgrounds — they include a librarian, a businessman, a Rotarian, a United Way leader, and an early learning coalition leader.  Each of them, however, shares a common trait: They recognize the urgency of the read aloud message and believe in its effectiveness.

These partners are remarkable in their dedication and passion in spreading the Read Aloud message in their communities.  We hope that their example inspires other community leaders to see what is possible.  If we could replicate what they have accomplished in other places, I know we would soon change the face of education in the United States.

The five Community Outreach Champions for 2016 are:

Sergio Contreras, Senior Education Manager, Orange County United Way, Orange County, CA.

Ruth Sparks, Retired Teacher, Fort Bragg Rotary, Mendocino County, CA.

Nancee Dahms-Stinson, Youth Services Coordinator, Springfield-Greene County Library District, Springfield, MO.

Nancy Young, Retired Teacher; Chairperson, Early Childhood Learning Coalition of Marion County, Inc., Marion County, FL.

Burnie Zercher, President & CEO, Industrial Constructors/Managers, Inc.; Chairman, Executives Partnering to Invest in Children-Pueblo, Pueblo County, CO.

To learn more about each of our Community Outreach Champions, please visit our 2016 Champions page.Best regards,

Bob Robbins, Executive Director
Read Aloud 15 MINUTES National Campaign
Email: robbins.bob@readaloud.org 

RUTH SPARKS
Retired Teacher
Fort Bragg Rotary
Mendocino County, California

• Recruited organizations across all spheres of influence to join the Read Aloud campaign.

• Secured funds for printing campaign materials, including Read Aloud flags, to be displayed around the community.

• Ensured that local family and library events include a Read Aloud 15 MINUTES presence and provide free books.

• Promoted enrollment by all children under 5 in the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Program.