New Sussex County Office!

Hello everyone,

I hope you are enjoying this lovely start to Fall. I have 4 quick things for you today!

1) Due to popular demand, we are excited to announce the re-launch of the RAD swag campaign! You can get yourself a snazzy RAD t-shirt, cozy sweatshirt, and more at this link right here. Anyone can place an order until Oct 2nd, and items will be shipped out mid-October.

2) Last week, our NCC Coordinator, Jade Gabos, along with the NCC Committee hosted a terrific volunteer luncheon. We were thrilled to see around 60 people in attendance, and a good time was had by all!

3) Yesterday, our SC Director, Stacy Penaranda, and the SC Committee officially cut the ribbon to our new office in Georgetown! We were pleased to be joined by many volunteers, Georgetown Mayor Bill West, State Rep. Ruth Briggs King, State Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, our board chair Jeanne Brennan, and Son-Djerry Cameus from Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester's office.

4) Also, yesterday, our Bilingual Outreach Coordinator, Maydelis Gomez-Samon, kicked off another in-person LENA Start course at the Georgetown Library. It was great to see so many families! Over the next 10 weeks, these families will learn strategies for incorporating more daily talk into their everyday routine with their child. Happy to have served over 150 families in English and Spanish with this terrific program!

Thanks,
James Spadola

Delaware Before the Railroads Author Chat

All,

Please join us for a RAD chat with Dave Tabler, the local author of "Delaware Before the Railroads: A Diamond Among the States" on Wed, July 19 at 12pm. Register here.

Find out how and why Delaware formed, how Willington became Wilmington, why John Dickinson refused to sign the Declaration of Independence, and where French General Lafayette visited in Delaware during his first trip here since the Revolutionary War!

Purchase the book here from local seller Browseabout Books.

Thank you,

James Spadola

Executive Director

jspadola@readalouddelaware.org

302.656.5256

Thank you, Elaine Markell

Read Aloud Delaware is very grateful for the legacy gift recently received from the estate of Elaine Markell. Elaine was a volunteer reader at Newark Day Nursery up until 2018. We are grateful for her service to Read Aloud Delaware, and to the children of Delaware! For further details on the illustrious life she lived, please see her obituary here.

Thank you,

James Spadola

New Year, New Logo!

Dear Read Aloud Delaware Stakeholder,

As I enter my 4th year as executive director of this great organization, I am thrilled to unveil our new logo! Our intent was to incorporate the same elements of our previous logo with a slight refresh.

In addition to our new logo, our board recently approved a new strategic plan which incorporates some of our new program elements (such as LENA Start, which has served over 140 families in English and Spanish since 2020!). We have also updated our Mission and Vision statements to encompass the new programs that we offer:

Our Mission is to create a life-long impact through early childhood literacy.

Our Vision is that children across Delaware will have the foundational literacy skills to succeed in school and life.

Further, our new core values, acknowledging that Read Aloud Delaware is an amazing community who are guided by the following:

Respectful

Encouraging

Accountable

Dedicated

Showcasing our commitment to continue our impact within Spanish-speaking communities, we also have them in Spanish:

Leal (Loyal)

Entregado (Dedicated)

Esperanzador (Encouraging)

Respetuoso (Respectful)

Gratitude is in order! Many thanks to:

the Welfare Foundation for providing the funding for our strategic planning with DANA.

Laffey-McHugh foundation for providing the funding to update our marketing material

Gary Phillips of William Penn High School for designing our new logo pro bono!

We appreciate your commitment to literacy and look forward to catching up with you in 2023!

Unveiling of Our New Logo, Mission, and Vision Statements

Exciting news! We have a new logo, as well as a new values and mission statement, that we can't wait to show you! Please join us live on Zoom this upcoming Tuesday at 12p to see everything! The link to register is here.

Save Money at Boscov's, and Help Read Aloud Delaware!

Read Aloud Delaware is proud to participate in the 2022 Friends Helping Friends fundraising event hosted by Boscov's!

Donate $5 to support Read Aloud Delaware and in return, you get a 25% Off Shopping Pass that can be used in store on October 19th!

Stop by the Read Aloud Delaware Dover office to make your donation and pick up your shopping pass! Or call us at 302-674-4423! Or send us an email here!

Interview with Jimmie Allen

For the full interview with Jimmie Allen, please click here.