3 December Read-a-thons

I've found 3 read-a-thons in December so far that I'm going to participate in! It's typically a pretty busy month with the holidays, so I don't expect to get a lot done, but I do enjoy the read-a-thon vibe.




The first one is the Second Annual Holiday #Readathon hosted by WhoRuBlog. This one runs from Dec. 2nd - 4th (Fri - Sun) so it starts tomorrow! There is a charity component to this one, so what I'm going to do is donate for all three read-a-thons, to make my donation better, and I've chosen Wayside Waifs, a local no-kill animal shelter, as my charity of choice for this month! I will pledge $5 for each book I finish during these three read-a-thon's. We'll be using Twitter Hashtag #readathon for this one.




Next up we have the first time Snowy Days Read-a-thon Dec. 5th - 7th (Mon - Wed) hosted by Turning the Pages. We'll be using the Twitter Hashtag #SDRAT. I'm hoping we don't get any snow, since I have to work anyway, but if we do that's okay! ;)




I've posted about this one once already but wanted to include it again. This is the Wrapping Up 2011 Read-a-thon hosted by Jessie's Remarkable Reads It's her first time hosting, so lets make it a great one so she'll keep on doing it! The read-a-thon lasts from December 22nd - January 1st. There is also a Twitter Hashtag to use: #WU2011R



So there we go! Come join us for some reading in December! Maybe it will help you finish up those reading challenges! Not me, I'm way too far behind for that!

Are you ready for Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon?

This time next week we'll be feverishly reading and cheering each other on during Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon! There's still plenty of time to sign up to be a reader, or join the cheerleading team! Yes, you can absolutely do both, I am! One of the most fun things about the read-a-thon is picking out what books to read. I always have a much bigger stack than I will ever get through, but you just never know what you'll be in the mood for! Here are some of the ones that are definites, plus the rest of my stack!





I have quite a few short stories and novellas on the Kindle and in print, (both Father Mine and Stopping Time above are short stories) so I will be working on those as well. I thought that might be a good break from a longer book if I'm feeling bogged down on it, or a quick in between books.

I'm also going to be donating to a reading themed charity this year. I've chosen Literacy Kansas City as my recipient, and while I'm actually going to donate for what I read in the whole month of October, I'll report in on what I did for the read-a-thon itself as I think they usually try to tally up what people have done if they're willing to volunteer the info.

I'm cheerleading again this time, so I need to get busy and try to think of something fun. I love getting comments from people during the read-a-thon, it gives it that group festive feeling, and really helps if you're feeling like things are going slow!

I can't believe it's so close and yet so far! Just another week to go! And yet, another WHOLE week of work before it's time! I hope to see you all there!

Spotlight: Literacy Kansas City

My ability to read is something that I take for granted. I read all the time, books yes, but also food boxes, medication labels, job applications, road signs, greeting cards, e-mails and texts from friends, family and co-workers. There is almost no part of my life that doesn't involve reading in some way. I had wonderful parents who fostered this ability in me at an early age, not everyone is given this same opportunity. But they should be.

Literacy Kansas City states on their website that 1 in 5 adults in the United States are functionally illiterate.

Our Mission
Literacy Kansas City's mission is to advance literacy among area adults through direct services, advocacy and collaboration. Our vision is literacy for all.

The Need for Literacy
Approximately 225,000 adults in the Kansas City area function at the lowest literacy level. Illiteracy is closely linked to poverty, unemployment and health issues. Children of low literate parents face a high risk of growing up illiterate. Helping an adult learn to read can improve the situation of an entire family. Most adult learners seek our help so they can participate in their children's learning, obtain a GED or diploma, or improve their job skills so they can better support their families. At any time, there are around 30 students on our waiting list.

The Organization
Literacy Kansas City certifies volunteers as tutors and matches them with adult learners from across the Kansas City metropolitan area who want to improve their literacy skills. Founded in 1985, Literacy Kansas City is an accredited affiliate of ProLiteracy America, the U.S. program division of ProLiteracy Worldwide.

I can't think of a better, lasting gift to give someone than the ability to read. I've discovered the joy of online read-a-thon's, where a group of people sign up on the host's blog and then read and blog about their progress, visit each other and comment etc. It's a lot of fun! So far these experiences have not included an organized literacy donation process, as they are generally bringing together people from different parts of the world and everyone would have a different charity focus, so it would be difficult. It is absolutely encouraged to do so however, to the charity of your choice. I have two read-a-thon's that I'm participating in during October, one right now, The Frightful Fall Read-a-thon, and then a little later in the month Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon. Since October looks to hopefully be a successful reading month for me, I'd like to pledge to donate $3 for each full length book (including audios), and $1.50 for each short story that I finish during the month. Things are starting off pretty good so far, I've already finished 4 books in October and it's only the first full week, much better than last month where I only finished 3 during all of September!

I encourage everyone who enjoys reading to find out if their area has a program like Literacy Kansas City that they can donate to or volunteer in, and do something fun like a read-a-thon, come up with a fun way to measure what you should donate, a penny a page, anything, and help pass along this gift to others!

Spotlight: Higher M-Pact

Another visit we had this week was from the founder of Higher M-Pact, Tyrone Flowers. The every day experience of these kids is so outside of anything I can imagine. Mr. Flowers' own story is fascinating and an example of how these kids can succeed if given a chance. Please have a look.


Vision & Mission
Our Vision: Transforming today's high-risk urban youth into tomorrow's leaders:

* Leaders in their families
* Leaders in their communities

Our Mission: To instill hope and inspiration in high-risk urban youth and in every life we encounter.

Higher M-Pact deals with the high-risk youth no one else wants to deal with. These youth are involved in the Juvenile Justice System and delinquent activities, and society views them as a lost cause. Although these youth are difficult and challenging, they possess many of the characteristics that also make great leaders: strong-willed, influential, and charismatic. They are facing the toughest challenges imaginable but have qualities that can be nurtured into positive leadership.

Spotlight: The Johnson County Christmas Bureau

I have recently been appointed to the board for my company's charitable foundation. I will not name it as I wish to always keep my online persona and my personal/work life separate, but I don't see any problem with passing along information on these organizations as I receive it, considering they always need all the help they can get, so you can expect more of these in the future. I realize that most of my online friends and followers are not local, but I urge you to take a look at these organizations anyway, and then see if perhaps your own area has something similar. Sometimes it takes very little to make a real difference in someone's life.




Today we were visited by the Johnson County Christmas Bureau. They are an organization that tries to help families in need have the holiday that so many of us take for granted.

From their facebook info page:

"The Johnson County Christmas Bureau is a 501(C)(3) non-profit, non-denominational agency created to provide the county’s low-income families with groceries, clothes, toys, hats, gloves, socks, adult and teen gifts, books and personal care items for the holidays. The Bureau began as an adopt-a-family project in 1960 by a group of women from the Shawnee Mission Chapter of AAUW; the Holiday Shop format was introduced in 1977.

Although Johnson County has a reputation for affluence, the rising level of poverty in the county is swelling the number of families seeking holiday assistance from the Bureau.

The Holiday Shop, held over a nine day period in early December, annually serves more than 2,800 families, (more than 10,000 individuals), who otherwise would go without during the holiday season. Many are working families trying to make ends meet; more than 70 percent are women and children. Nursing home residents also are served by our program.

Qualifying clients are referred by SRS, Catholic Community Services, schools, and other agencies. Upon completion of an application, clients are given an appointment to shop. With the help of volunteers, clients select a prescribed number of food and gift items pegged to the size of their family. Clients pay a small dignity fee.

All items provided to our clients are new, with the exception of gently used coats and books.

Our volunteers work year-round purchasing items at a discount and seeking new donated items to prepare for each year’s Holiday Shop. Over a two week period from set-up to take-down, more than 3,000 volunteers help at the Holiday Shop, held in donated space."

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.