Families book time for Literacy

Bud Kehler reads to enthralled children in Altona on Family Literacy Day, January 27,2000. (Photo by Barbara Shewchuk of the Red RIver Valley Echo)

Family Literacy Day was celebrated far and wide across Canada. Premier Gary Doer issued an official Proclamation encouraging Manitobans to mark January 27, 2000, as a special day to highlight the impact of literacy on our social, economic and spiritual growth. Civic dignitaries, guests, parents and children gathered in libraries, schools and community centres across the province to celebrate the joy of reading.

Representatives of the LPM Board and staff and Lynne Charette of the Speaker Bureau visited the Legislative Buildings to present MLAs with a carton of milk, buttons, posters, and a copy of the Directory for Healthy Families for use in their home constituency offices as a master referral list.

Morden
In Morden, the library scheduled an evening pyjama party. About seventeen children, dressed in pajamas and hugging teddy bears, arrived with their parents. Library personnel had invited a number of community people to read to the children, including Gerry Poole, and local radio personality Gladys Klassen. Library staff served cookies and juice at the conclusion of the evening. They reported that both the children and their parents enjoyed the event.

Altona
Innovative library personnel in Altona sent home a smaller version of the poster they had received from LPM with each child from Kindergarten to Grade 3 and distributed the same information at the Day Care. The response was absolutely overwhelming. Library staff were inundated with almost a hundred citizens! Local radio personalities Bud Kehler and Al Friesen from CFAM read to the children; their delivery and expression held the children spellbound. Penner IGA donated cookies. Liz Forrester of the library reported an extremely positive response to the event, and indicated that the community would like to see it repeated next year.

Gimli
Gimli celebrated national Family Literacy Day with a wonderful Undercover Readers’ Adventure. Carol Goossen, family literacy coordinator, set up five camping tents in one great room at the local Recreation Center and an imitation campfire borrowed from the Theatre Association. The Kindergarten class, the Gimli Children’s Centre, Playgroup Partners, and many other parents and children came to hear celebrity readers. Ten children from grade 6 came to be helpers. Book posters were donated by Tergesen’s store, and giveaways by the Winnipeg Public Library and ABC Canada. The local library and LPM set up book displays.