New Haven Independent

Lisa Monroe (at right in photo), education chair of the Greater New Haven branch of the civil-rights organization, announced a kick-off a community literacy drive. She called on adults to volunteer their time to teach young people how to read.

She made the announcement at New Haven Reads, the donated-book center at Bristol and Ashmun streets where tutors help 275 people a week, most of them young children, navigate their way through the printed page.

The event occurred as NAACP chapters nationwide marked the organization’s 100th anniversary Thursday.

“Study after study after study tells us” that early readers tend to grow up into more successful adults, while weak childhood literacy skills tend to match up with people who eventually get in trouble, Monroe said.

“We know we can be successful if we put our hands on our children.”

She asked adult volunteers to call the NAACP at 650-2268 or to contact existing programs like New Haven Reads and the Jewish Coalition for Literacy campaign directly to sign up.

The latter effort is organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council (whose director, Lauri Lowell, is shown at left in the photo beside New Haven Reads director Christine Alexander). The coalition sends adult mentors into six New Haven public schools to help kids one-on-one with reading. It hopes to expand into more schools, Lowell said. Volunteers can reach the campaign’s coordinator, Brenda Brenner, at 387-2424 ext. 308.

“It doesn’t require a teaching certificate” to donate time as a reading tutor, said Christine Alexander (at left in photo, director of New Haven Reads. “It requires an hour a week.” New Haven Reads can be reached at 752-1923.

The center, which collects and distributes donated books in addition to running after-school programs, has 140 people on a waiting list for reading tutoring. Alexander said a satellite effort will open soon at Science Park with about 20 more slots; it will be run by staffer Chris Griffin (pictured). New Haven Reads will have room for 30 kids in a new Monday tutoring program across the street at the Yale-Dixwell Learning Center.