Book Worm Angels

Book Worm Angels

Location: 17 Savage Street, Charleston, SC 29401

Contact: Clarence (Ren) Manning, clarence_manning@bellsouth.net

Website: http://www.bookwormangels.org/

OVERVIEW 

Description of Group/Organization and programs offered which relate to improving literacy:

Book Worm Angels mission is to foster recreational reading habits among pre-K - 8th grade students in high-poverty schools where reading scores are substantially below grade, and thereby to improve reading skills and scores. To this end, it engages middle and high schools, churches, businesses and other organizations to conduct book drives to collect gently used recreational reading children's books, which it donates to area public elementary and middle schools to create in-classroom lending libraries of 7-10 books per student. The BWA program is voluntary, but students are encouraged to select books to take home and read, and parents/caregivers are urged to turn off the tv and read with their children for 20-30 minutes per night.

Area(s) of Charleston County served:

Since rolling out its activities in the fall of 2011, Book Worm Angels has collected and donated over 15,000 books to Mary Ford Elementary School, James Simons Elementary School and Harleyville-Ridgeville Elementary School and plans to expand its book donations and reading program in other Charleston County elementary and middle schools as books become available.

SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Are services offered in any schools?  Yes

Currently, our program serves Mary Ford Elementary, James Simons Elementary and Harleyville-Ridgeville Elementary Schools; other Charleston County schools will be offered the BWA program as books become available.

The program is not constrained by hours or time of day.
BWA donates 7-10 books per student to create in-classroom lending libraries from which students are encouraged to select books to take home and read with their parents/caregivers. The schools urge parents/caregivers to turn off the TV and read with their children for 20-30 minutes per night.

OUTREACH AND IN-HOUSE PROGRAMS

Do services include any non-school outreach to the community?   Yes     

Description of Outreach initiatives:

High-poverty and at-risk elementary and middle schools are offered books to create in-classroom libraries from which students can select books to take home and read outside the normal school curriculum.  Parents/caregivers are urged to turn off the ty and read with their children for 20-30 minutes every night. Important side benefits are greater involvement of parents/caregivers in their children's education and improved literacy for themselves as well by reading with their children.

Population(s) directly served by organization:
Elementary School
Middle School
Parents/Caregivers

ASSESSMENT

Annual written teacher surveys

PARTNERSHIPS

Interested in establishing a partnership with another organization/group?         Yes   

First, we need thousands of outgrown gently-used children's recreational reading books; accordingly, we need on-going access to large, relatively affluent schools, churches, businesses and other organizations who are willing to conduct book drives for us. Secondly, we solicit ideas and collaboration with other organizations/groups in designing ways to encourage greater parent/caregiver and student interaction in home reading activities. Finally, we need a permanent location to store books collected during book drives pending donation to schools; a 15' x 15' storage room or warehouse area would be sufficient.   

VOLUNTEERS

Are there volunteer opportunities?         Yes.

From time to time and when needed, Book Worm Angels uses volunteers to contact schools, churches, businesses and other organizations to encourage them to conduct book drives; to pick up, triage and store the collected books; to contact principals at schools to offer book donations and the BWA program; to deliver books to schools accepting the BWA program; and to conduct a brief training orientation for school teachers. In general, book drives are held in the spring and books are donated to schools at the beginning of the school year in the fall. Preparatory work precedes such activities by several months.

Volunteer coordinator’s contact information :
Clarence (Ren) Manning, 404.202.6039, clarence_manning@bellsouth.net