“Building readers and leaders.”
YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS
A showcase of how our students leaders have volunteered in the past to help encourage today’s readers and inspire tomorrow’s leaders. Looking for a volunteer opportunity? Email Karen@kisforkids.org to learn about volunteer opportunities in your community.
Students leaders are the energy and inspiration fueling our mission!
Student Leaders, Interns, Spokespersons and Ambassadors are the”kids” on the giving end of our mission, making it all happen.
A highlight of our fun’raising season was the Bring a Book, Bring a Friend for Children’s Literacy Month. It launched each year with proclamations by Mayor Bill Barnett of Naples (pictured in the fourth photo below); the Collier County Commissioners (above) and Florida Governor Rick Scott.
While K is for Kids served as a nonprofit organization (2008-2018) our primary volunteers were high schools students who earned important community service hours and/or internships while boosting their resumes and applying their skills utilizing entrepreneurial principles outside of the classroom in a real world setting. Today our founder, Karen D. Clawson, still provides internships when able.
Students launched Operation: Outreach in 2013, creating a “Ladder for Leaders” program for other students with the mission to “Climb Higher. Help Others.”
Student leaders created and ran programs, events, and activities engaging children and other students in “reading and leading” utilizing entrepreneurial principles, such as the Bring a Book, Bring a Friend(r) for Children’s Literacy Month, celebrated each year throughout the month of February, the annual K is for Kids’ From the Heart Teen Fashion Show and annual Young Entrepreneur Scholarship Competition (YES Comp) hosted by Barron Collier High School, the annual Kids Celebrate Reading Book Fair at Barnes & Noble, fun contests, events and more for youngsters and their families.
BONUS: Students got the opportunity to try out new interests, learn new skills, develop talents and entrepreneurial approaches while seeing their impact on others in their community first hand.
READERS AND LEADER — A PROGRAM OVERVIEW:
RISING READERS BOOK AWARDS and End-of-Year TOP READER BOOK AWARDS
This program encouraged children and youth to read more while recognizing their reading achievements, giving kids in need, from toddlers to teens, new books to take home and keep.
Working with Collier County Housing Authority Land, a nonprofit organization of the Farm Workers Village in Immokalee, children received new books to read and keep through our Rising Readers program, and enjoyed new bookshelves donated to their learning center, compliments of our Building Book Nooks for Kids.
Rising Readers: Introduced in the fall of 2011. This exciting initiative placed new books into the hands of children who need them most through schools’ and nonprofit organization’s own reading incentive programs. K is for Kids’ especially partnered with those in the “business” of books and information resources, media specialists and librarians, who themselves work closely with their schools’ teachers and principals to create and develop reading incentive programs matching their students’ needs.
Rising Readers encouraged children to read more while recognizing their reading achievements: When a student has reached the reading goal set by their media specialist and/or teacher, they have the opportunity to choose a new book to take home and keep.
End-of-Year Top (Rising) Reader Book Awards: This was our most popular reading program! At the end of the school year, K is for Kids helped schools recognize their top (rising) readers. The students are selected by their media specialists, teachers and/or principals based on reading goals and achievements. The book awards were very popular with principals, educators, the proud parents and, particularly, the young honorees themselves!
BONUS: Children are proud to share their achievements and new books with their family; and are helping to bring literacy home to their mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters.
FRIENDS OF THE SCHOOL LIBRARY
ONE BOOK may be read by MANY students over MANY years, creating the best “bang for the book” by maximizing the book-to-reader ratio!
Friends of the School Library Students in Immokalee rejoice in the arrival of brand new books that students requested for their school library. It’s a never-ending story: children love to read! They visit their school libraries in search of stories that will lead them on new adventures, where they can meet new friends, visit new worlds and explore new ways to think about the challenges they face
Friends of the School Library: K is for Kids’ roots first took hold when founder Karen Clawson began “raising” more books for students to read in her children’s elementary school library in 2002 (collecting books and the money to buy new books). Her efforts sparked a grassroots movement as impassioned parents and community members joined her efforts. Friends of the School Library helps boost the inventory of books in school libraries and when funding provides, teachers’ classroom libraries.
BONUS: “Bang for the Book.” One book may be read by many children over many years when placed into a shared reading environment, maximizing the book-to-reader ratio. Low cost – high rewards!
BONUS: “Trickle down effect.” Books that are not needed in circulation, and/or are no longer needed thanks to the new donations, “trickle down” to teachers’ classroom libraries and/or given directly to students. Kids always win!
BUILDING BOOK NOOKS FOR KIDS
Benefited children being served by other nonprofit organizations and programs: Giving kids in need books to read wherever they may be in the community!
K is for Kids’ Bring a Book, Bring a Friend for Children’s Literacy Month in February 2011 launched by bringing books and authors to the children of Farm Workers Village in Immokalee, thanks to Collier County Housing Authority Land.
Building Book Nooks for Kids: Books and bookshelves were donated to other nonprofit organizations that offer shared reading environments for the children they serve. Students continue to reap the same benefits through preschool, after school, and summer programs.
BONUS: Children have increased access to books in and out of school.
You can make a difference.
Help us build readers and leaders.
To learn more, email Karen@kisforkids.org.
