Make Way for Books Receives Fiesta Bowl Charities Grant to Help Get Books into Hands of Children

While facing unprecedented times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Make Way for Books received a grant from Fiesta Bowl Charities that will immediately support the organization’s family literacy programming.

This funding is critical for Make Way for Books to serve 450 young children and families. With the Fiesta Bowl Charities grant, Make Way for Books will be able to provide thousands of books for children’s homes through Book Fiestas. Further, support from Fiesta Bowl will help connect families to Virtual Story School, an online digital learning platform where children and families are immersed in reading, engage in skills-building literacy activities, and build community together.

“We couldn’t be more thankful for the support of Fiesta Bowl, especially during these unprecedented times. Many children in our community do not have access to quality books or high-quality early education. Through low-contact book distributions and online programming, Make Way for Books has worked creatively to ensure young children and families have access to quality books and early literacy and learning opportunities throughout the pandemic. But the need in our community is high. Fiesta Bowl’s support means we get can thousands of books into the hands and homes of children and families who need them most,” said Jenny Volpe, CEO of Make Way for Books.

Make Way for Books was among 44 nonprofit organizations across the state of Arizona that benefitted from Fiesta Bowl Charities grant funding in the 2020-21 season. Through the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl and various community events throughout the year, Fiesta Bowl Charities has granted $16 million in charitable giving the last five years alone.

“We are committed to enhancing the lives of Arizonans and by supporting Make Way for Books and their amazing grassroots efforts, we are collectively making a meaningful difference,” said Patrick Barkley, Chair of the Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors. “Giving back to the Arizona community has been core to the Fiesta Bowl mission since we were founded 50 years ago, from our Board of Directors to Yellow Jacket Committee, volunteers and staff.”

Make Way for Books works to break down barriers to early educational experiences for underserved and economically-disadvantaged young children by meeting families where they are. While a majority of Make Way for Books’ programming was provided in person, the organization has worked creatively to provide books and to develop a new virtual model that meets the needs of families who face compounding stress and obstacles to early literacy and learning opportunities.

“The last year has been incredibly challenging for us all and that is why it is very important that the Fiesta Bowl still deliver these necessary funds to Make Way for Books,” said Fiesta Bowl Executive Director Mike Nealy. “The heroes are nonprofits like Make Way for Books across Arizona who use these funds to improve people’s lives, right where they need it. We are part of this community and it’s our mission to give back to the community.”

Thanks to your support, this week we’re celebrating hundreds of children and families as graduates of our Virtual Story School program! For the past 10 weeks, children and families have joined us to share stories, engage in literacy activities, connect through live learning on Zoom and our digital Family Learning Space, and do a lot of “homework” on the Make Way for Books App. Families have shared ideas and experiences, reflected on their routines, and explored new ways to support their children’s early learning and love of reading.

“Week after week, he began to understand, this is like school. I love how my son participates and learns from other children. This has helped me to be intentional about coming up with activities for him. The time we spend together in Story School is an investment in education. I would tell any parent that this is the best thing you could do with your child,” shares Ana, a parent participating in Virtual Story School.

Because of your generosity, our Virtual Story School graduates have a home library filled with high-quality, bilingual, and multicultural books.

“When he received his backpack of books, my son asked, ‘This is all for me?’ He was so excited. We couldn’t believe it,” shares Ana.

We cannot thank you enough for making this whole journey of learning possible. Thanks to your continued support, our Virtual Story School graduates will move on to Story University, where we’ll continue to engage in literacy and learning activities together.

Your support will be what helps us welcome a whole new class of Virtual Story School families in 2021. We can’t wait to send you more updates as these programs progress, but for now, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. From the first closures early this year, we’ve remained steadfast in our commitment to meet young children and families where they are.

We couldn’t have imagined what this year would bring but thanks to your support, we’ve been able to adapt to meet children and families with a whole new online platform for literacy and learning experiences, the highest quality books, and continued community connections. On behalf of our Virtual Story School graduates, thank you.

 

Learn more about our Virtual Story School program here.

As we work to bring digital programming and resources to more children and families throughout southern Arizona, we know partnerships are key to meeting the diverse and changing needs of families. This year, we are proud to announce our new partnership with the Native American Advancement Foundation (NAAF) to bring Virtual Story School and the Make Way for Books App to children and families living in the GuVo District of the Tohono O’odham Nation. NAAF’s goal is to strengthen Native American communities by building brighter futures and they serve the Tohono O’odham Nation in areas including education, arts, culture, health, and more.

      

Together, we’re working with NAAF to adapt programming to address the digital divide and ensure children and families have access to high-quality books and culturally-responsive literacy and learning experiences.

 

 

We’re thrilled to announce that the Make Way for Books App received an A+ rating for educational content from Common Sense Media, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century.

According to Common Sense Media, “Parents looking for some support in creating meaningful interaction with their little ones will find lots of great resources here [on the Make Way for Books App]. Videos and short blurbs cover lots of ground in helping parents, like how to “read” to a small baby and how to create opportunities for “serve and return” interactions. Make Way for Books features really wonderful encouragement and modeling for parents.”

 

Activities on the Make Way for Books App teach families not only how to do an activity but also break down the latest research and evidence-based practices into “edible science” that shows families what their children are learning through each activity. Families learn how to support their children in experimenting with new materials, to ask open-ended questions, and to encourage their children to make predictions and observations. Take a look at one of our activities below!

 

 

The Make Way for Books App is available in English and Spanish and is free for families on Android and Apple. You can help us by downloading the Make Way for Books App, leaving a review on the app stores, and spreading the word about our app to more families! Click here to learn more.

 

Make Way for Books is honored and thrilled to be a part of Social Venture Partners (SVP) Fast Pitch Class of 2021! According to Social Venture Partners Tucson,

“Fast Pitch 2021 will catalyze resources, relationships, awareness, and capacity for the organizations that are poised to have significant impact in Southern Arizona. We acknowledge that growth requires change, and we are committed to transformation.”

This year, the Fast Pitch Selection Committee received 47 applications and selected just 10 nonprofits. Learn more about Fast Pitch 2021 participants here.

SVP Tucson shared, “These nonprofits are working at the forefront of the intersectional movements for racial, economic, & social justice. They’re tackling incarceration issues, gender inequalities, education, economic disparities, and more!”

Over the next months, we will participate in SVP’s robust training, including “pitch” training as well additional support in fundraising and marketing.

Save the date! On March 11, 2021, all 10 participating nonprofits will take the stage to share stories of resilience and impact for a chance to win over $100,000 in grants! You can get your tickets now here.

With your support, we continue to support our dedicated early educators and home providers as they work hard to provide distance and in-person programming for children. Our Early Literacy Specialists continue provide professional development workshops, coaching, connection, and support for educators virtually. One educator participating in the Story Project shared that they “have learned how to better the children’s knowledge and love of reading more by allowing the kids to be a part of the books, by reading stories with more enthusiasm, and asking more questions that involve the story and the children’s lives.”

 

We’ve worked to cultivate connection and peer learning between educators virtually. Through our digital platforms, educators share challenges, ideas, and experiences with one another.

One educator shared that, “by continuing to engage in conversations with other educators, [we] are continually challenged and motivated to grow.”

 

 

Through our Cuéntame Collaborative project, we continue to empower home-based care providers who care for children in their homes. Providers have engaged in coaching and workshops focused around biliteracy and sharing books in developmentally-appropriate ways, fostering opportunities to support emergent writing, as well as using books as a springboard to foster language-rich environments. Reflecting on her learning, a participating provider shared,

“Cada día es una nueva oportunidad del desarrollo del lenguaje con los niños a travez de la lectura, diferentes actividades, jugando, a la hora de comer, y cuando salimos afuera. [Every day is a new opportunity to develop the language of children through reading, different activities, playing, at mealtime, and when we go outside.]”

Your support makes it possible for us to provide these spaces of community and learning together, even when we cannot be together in person. Thank you for the support you’ve given our community’s educators during this time.

Make Way for Books is honored to be the primary beneficiary of the Tucson Classics Car Show presented by Rotary Club of Tucson.

Each year, the Rotary Club of Tucson works hard to put on the Tucson Classics Car Show and raise funding to benefit our community. Rotary Club of Tucson Foundation raised nearly $181,000 for local nonprofit organizations through its 2019 Tucson Classics Car show!

The 2019 Tucson Classics Car Show raised generous funding to support a number of nonprofit organizations in Tucson, including Make Way for Books, Interfaith Community Services, and the Reid Park Zoo.

As the primary beneficiary, Make Way for Books was thrilled to receive a generous grant of $65,271 to support our family literacy strategy which impacts children and families without access to high-quality early education.

 

Our family literacy strategy is an innovative, two-generation approach where children and parents learn together and both gain important skills. Each week, children experience books and literacy activities that foster their emergent literacy and language skills. Parents gain skills and confidence to support their children’s early literacy and language development.

 

A participating parent shared,

“They build so much of their brain at such a young age. My daughter is a year and a half old. When she sees a family in a book, she says ‘mom’ and ‘dad.’ She understands the emotions ‘happy’ and ‘sad.’ She also smiles and laughs when there’s a happy book. It has been a wonderful experience coming here. We love getting books, discovering new stories. We come back because we want to keep learning.”

As a result of Make Way for Books’ programming, 99% of participating young children gain emergent literacy and language skills that are essential for school readiness and future successful reading.

This work is only possible thanks to the hard work and generosity of our community.

 

According to Jenny Volpe, Chief Executive Officer of Make Way for Books, “Rotarians take hard work, steadfast dedication, and service to a new level. Their incredible generosity translates into opportunity our youngest children. Rotary Club of Tucson is helping to change the literacy landscape of Tucson and ensuring more children in our community have the chance to read and succeed. We cannot thank Rotary Club of Tucson enough!”

Make Way for Books is thrilled to announce that we are the recipient of a generous $400,000 grant from Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust to expand our Neighborhood School Readiness model to the Avondale community in Maricopa County.

In 2015, we first launched the Neighborhood School Readiness Collaborative and adopted neighborhood schools as community hubs where elementary school staff, early childhood educators, and families worked together to provide young children (ages birth to 5) with access to critical emergent literacy and language experiences necessary for school readiness and grade-level reading by third grade. We established strong partnerships with school districts and organizations working together to create high impact for thousands of young children, families, and educators throughout Tucson and southern Arizona. Support from Piper Trust will continue to help us build on this impact and momentum.

“We know that early education impacts everything. We have worked with school districts and partners to ensure thousands of young children have the early educational opportunities that truly set the stage for success in school and beyond. Thanks to the generous support of Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, we are thrilled to be expanding this innovative and collaborative project in Avondale to bring this impact to a larger scale,” shared Jenny Volpe, CEO at Make Way for Books.

This grant from Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust will help reach more than 2,000 children, families, and educators over the three-year project. We look forward to sharing the stories and impact of this work with you!

“When I go to the sites where I deliver and the children see me wheel in my cart with books, they are right behind me waiting to pick out a book from the blue bookshelf, so this is definitely used by the community. The children and their parents know the books will be replenished if the shelves are empty and this is important so they can build a library of their own at home,” said Kathy Naylor, a volunteer at Make Way for Books.

Will you help us get books into the hands of children in our community? Join our Community-wide Book Drive July and drop off your new and gently-used children’s books at participating YMCA of Southern Arizona locations and at Mildred and Dildred (located at La Encantada) July 8th through August 31st!

Who knew launching an app could be so much fun?! Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate the re-release of our Make Way for Books App! Special thanks to the incredible authors and illustrators who have helped us get great books on the app, to our wonderful partners, and to every one of YOU for using our app!

Take a peek at the fun we had!

 

 

Thanks to our sponsors for making the event possible: GEICO, Comcast, All About Books, Hughes Federal Credit Union, Mistercarwash, and Bookmans Midtown!

 

And thank you to our many in-kind donors, including Cakes for Causes, Jack Furrier Tire and Auto Care, and Casino Del Sol.