JUNIOR LEAGUE OF ANNAPOLIS HELPS ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL “READ AROUND THE WORLD” (4/24/13)

24 April 2013

JUNIOR LEAGUE OF ANNAPOLIS HELPS ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL “READ AROUND THE WORLD”

League, community partners collect books for school’s developing media center as part of an initiative to foster a passion for literacy and knowledge 

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – April 24, 2013 – The Junior League of Annapolis, Inc. (JLA) recently collected and delivered nearly 1,000 new and gently used books to the media center of J. Albert Adams Academy, an Anne Arundel County Public School, located on Clay Street in Annapolis. The books were collected in support of the school’s initiative to further develop its media center, which was redesigned in 2010 and simultaneously encourage a passion for literacy amongst its students. The school serves students throughout Anne Arundel County in grades 6-8.

Additionally, the books will support media specialist Dr. Jill Gann’s upcoming program “Read Around the World.” The program will incentivize students to dive head first into reading, and will track their travels by assigning one mile to each page read. The Junior League of Annapolis also donated a large 6.5-foot-by-4.5-foot world map to help the students visualize their “journey.”

“I look at all of the donated books and I am amazed and humbled by the power of people who have a vision and pursue it – regardless of many obstacles,” commented Dr. Gann. “All of us at J. Albert Adams Academy send heartfelt thanks a million times over to the women of the Junior League of Annapolis and the many other people who volunteered their time and resources to make a big difference at this school. As I remind the students, ‘Today’s readers are tomorrow’s leaders… and those who read succeed!’”

The success of the book drive was aided in part by contributions from community partners, including the Rotary Club of Parole (www.parole-rotary.org/), Books for America (www.booksforamerica.org) and First Book (www.firstbook.org).

ABOUT THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF ANNAPOLIS

A registered 501(c) 3 organization, JLA is a group of more than 300 trained volunteers whose focus is to bridge the poverty gap in Anne Arundel County. Current community impact projects of focus include Sarah’s House and Center of Help. Helping Hands is a program that helps children from non-English-speaking households to integrate into their English-speaking classes in school. JLA’s program with Sarah’s House assists homeless women develop life skills so they will increase their chances of succeeding on their own after completing the rigorous SHINE program. This program focuses on self-awareness, decision-making skills and parenting skills.