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If you build it...they will read! |
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April 2010
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Thanks to your donations, Hands built a Literacy Center for
a 600-student high school!
Remember that 1989 baseball movie, Field
of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner? In the story, a man follows
his (some would say crazy) dream and builds a baseball diamond
in his Iowa cornfield...and sure enough, he sparks some epic
baseball action. The analogy can be applied to Mr. Jerome Bardouille,
the principal of Isaiah Thomas Secondary School on the island
of
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TL and the principal of Isiah Thomas Secondary School,
Mr. Jerome Bardouille
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Dominica. Bardouille's vision was to create
a "literacy center" in his high school — a school
whose students have suffered from a lack of infrastructure and
resources for many years that has led to a precipitous drop
in reading skills. When Hands Across the Sea heard about Mr.
Bardouille's dream, we pitched in to help — all made possible,
of course, by the cash contributions and donations of "gently
used" books by generous Hands supporters as part of our
Caribbean
Literacy and School Support (CLASS) program.
Much of the impact of Hands literacy
projects, such as getting needed classroom resources to teachers
and books to students, is incremental, measureable only in the
long run. But the instant success of the Isaiah Thomas Secondary
School Literacy Center has been exciting (to see all the photos,
please click here: Hands Photo
Album 4). To hear the "oohs" and "aahs"
from the first group of students to visit the center —
along with the
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The titles in the ITSS Literacy Center range from The
Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew to Maya Angelou
to National Geographic books on the universe
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occasional shriek as a student found a
book they've been dying to read — has been as gratifying
for Hands as it is for the principal and staff of the school.
On Dominica, as throughout the Caribbean, books are breathtakingly
expensive — two to three times more costly than the same
titles in the States — if they are available at all. Many
families have little or no money to buy books of their own,
and many communities lack a library, so the only place young
students can read is in school. The ITSS Literary Center will
be playing a key role in improving reading skills for many,
many years to come.
We owe a huge "thank you"
to our partners, Tropical
Shipping,
Boaters
for Books, AIT
Worldwide,and
Harte-Hanks
for their awesome logistical assistance, and to you,
our generous Hands contributors. Your support means that the
young people at Isaiah Thomas Secondary School are getting the
chance to reach their full potential as students during this
crucial stage in their education. Thank you for supporting Hands
Across the Sea and our non-profit work! —T.L.
and Harriet |
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ways you can work with Hands...
how to donate funds
Cash donations can be made through
a check made out to "Hands Across the Sea, Inc."
and mailed to Hands Across the Sea, Inc., 411 Walnut Street,
PMB 4218, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043.
Or you can donate via the secure PayPal interface on the Donate
to Hands page. If you have a specific school or project
you'd like to "adopt," please tell us in the Comments
section of the PayPal interface or on your check. You'll help
us fulfill the specific Wish
Lists of our recipients.
how to donate books to
Hands
If you'd like to donate new and nearly
new books, please go to our Hands
Book Drop page or contact
us!
purchase books for Hands
If you'd like to help us purchase
nearly new children's books at a Friends of the Library Sale,
please contact us!
sort or pack books for Hands
Want to work hands-on? Please contact
us!
host a Hands presentation or Hands
fundraiser If you'd like to
do either— contact us!
join the Hands Log eNews group
If you would like to receive the
Hands Log (e-mail newsletter) please
click here.
Just type "Subscribe" in the subject line of your e-mail and
we'll keep you updated on the latest from Hands!
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