LINC Letter Summer 2022 by LINCNYC

LINC LETTER Summer 2022

WXTV Univision Promotes LINC’s Summer Programs

South Jamaica, Queens Family Celebrates Diversity Through Literacy and is Captured Live on Pix11 News

Live on Pix11 News: Literacy Inc. and Fidelis Care Join Forces to Promote Diversity Through Literacy On Thursday, July 7, Literacy Inc. and Fidelis Care joined forces in all eight of LINC’s neighborhoods to distribute free books to children across all five boroughs as part of a city-wide Diversity Through Literacy campaign. We are proud to report that this campaign was widely publicized and praised on Pix11 News that evening. “It’s important that kids can see themselves in books so they can dream and dream big. I want kids of all ages, genders, and identities to read so they can keep on dreaming,” said Sophie Lamisere, Vice President Population Health and Clinical Operations, Fidelis Care. Beginning on Juneteenth, this campaign was designed to uplift the significance of diversity and representation in children’s literature, to share books that reflect cultures all around the world, and help children develop confidence in themselves. All of the children who attended were given copies of the ABC’s of Black History which was read by the author Rio Cortez and illustrator, Lauren Semmer during LINC’s virtual program on July 22. Watch the news clip: www.lincnyc.org/blog.

Inspired by our live coverage of Diversity Through Literacy on Pix11 News, News Anchor Victor Javier Solano of WXTV Univsion requested an interview with Literacy Inc. in order to share LINC’s resources with his viewers. On Friday, July 8, Victor conducted an interview with LINC’s Senior Director of Family and Community Mobilization, Albania Jimenez, in Spanish, to learn about the purpose of this campaign and spread the word. “Well, we started our second campaign of diversity through literacy. And what do we want to accomplish with that? Well, bring more representation that looks like our children with the books in our communities. Therefore, yesterday we started to distribute more than one thousand books donated by our partner Fidelis Care, a campaign that we started with them last year to be able to give books in all of the neighborhoods where LINC works, across New York City.” Watch the video on Literacy Inc.’s YouTube channel and spread the word!

LINC’s Growing Movement Super Cells and Super Parents On June 17, LINC’s Staten Island and Brooklyn staff collaborated on a unique trilingual program for World Sickle Cell Day (June 19th). As requested by the Very Involved Parent, Richelet and his daughter, Hannah who has sickle cell, LINC families united online to read the story Super Cells, by Princess Walls in English, Spanish and French. Super Cells follows the journey of Gizelle, a brave little girl facing the challenges of living with sickle cell. Gizelle finds her super inner strength to take care of herself by putting on her cape and turning sickle cells into Super Cells. This subject gave families a chance to learn about sickle cell, to spread awareness about the illness, and to support other caregivers and children in similar situations.

Super Cells, along with other LINC read-alouds and parent engagement workshops held during the pandemic, resonated with Richelet in a way that deeply honors our work and we would like to share it. “Your program is a little larger and more powerful than I think even the people who are involved with it realize. Personally for me it was something, especially with the pandemic and schools and my daughter having a medical condition so she wasn’t able to participate, you gave her a source of community, of attention. I can tell you she reads grade level two or three and I directly attribute that to you guys because you did something, you made the reading more than just the reading. It’s the program itself, it’s the participation, it’s the joy, it’s the involvement, it’s the passion, it’s the consistency, it’s the professionalism that you bring to the program.” Richelet, like all of LINC’s Very Involved Parents, inspires us to continue our work every day so that all children experience the benefits of reading.

LINC Partners with Paramount for their 26th Annual Community Day LINC has been a longstanding Community Day partner of Paramount and we were thrilled to participate again this year. On July 16, Paramount held their 26th annual Community Day with a fan favorite activity: virtual read-alouds. Clearly Paramount knows their employees, as this activity attracted over 50 volunteers. We discussed the current state of the literacy crisis (critical but solvable!), shared highlights of LINC’s amazing work, and talked about the power of representation in children’s literature. Given the alignment with Juneteenth, and our ongoing commitment to diversity through literacy, we asked volunteers to read books that feature a diverse array of characters, communities, and cultures. Most volunteers came prepared with a pre-approved title that they purchased specifically for this event and 2

LINC LETTER - SUMMER 2022

donated to LINC after Community Day. Thank you, Paramount for your books and your participation. Watch these wonderful mentors and their stories on Literacy Inc.’s YouTube channel and share them with your fans!

LINC’s Collective Impact Take the NYC Reads Pledge and Go Beyond the Book with LINC it. Beyond the Book is a year long guide designed to take families around the world learning about other cultures by tasting foods from different countries, practicing mulThis August, as the New York City tiple languages, visiting libraries and Reads Initiative prepares its annual museums, and of course, our favorBack to School Celebrations in all ite, reading! three neighborhoods (South JamaiIn an effort to make this guide ca, East New York, East Harlem), families will be invited to embark accessible to all, it will be available on a brand new learning adventure. in five different languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Bengali and ChiWe call it Beyond the Book: Books, nese. New activities will be added to the Beyond the Book’s correspondActivities and Fun. Each month, ing web page every month. the NYC Reads Initiative will spotlight one book that celebrates a unique perspective and share free To start the journey, families will scan the QR code in the booklet and resources and activities around It takes a village to ensure that every child in New York City develops the skills needed to be successful in school by 5th grade.

take the NYC Reads Pledge, a commitment to early literacy support for all children in East New York, East Harlem, and South Jamaica, and their ticket to discovering new worlds, Beyond the Book.

Spreading the Word about City’s First Readers in Brooklyn and Staten Island Summer is here and City’s First Readers (CFR) has plenty to offer New York City families! To get the message out, over 20 NYC Service volunteers did a day of community canvassing on Monday, June 13 in Brooklyn’s District 40. On the following day, efforts continued to spread the word on Staten Island’s North Shore, District 49. On both days, volunteers pounded the pavement at NYCHA residences and playgrounds, grocery stores,

laundromats, food pantries, and other local hangouts–locations frequented by residents that provide space for literacy activities. Canvassers shared CFR’s promotional materials, each with an easy to scan QR code that connects community members to www.citysfirstreaders.com, and they educated families and business owners about CFR’s free resources for parents, literacy-rich activities and opportunities in their area. A special thank you to the NYC Service team and our parent advocates for their dedication and enthusiasm. Together this crew reached over 50 locations in both districts, showcasing the wide array of CFR resources available to families.

LINC LETTER - SUMMER 2022

LINC’s Supporters LINC Celebrates 25 Years at our First Hybrid Gala! We were blown away by the joy and generosity that filled the air during our annual LINC Gala on Tuesday, June 7. For the first time, we held a hybrid gala, during which participants could join in-person at Second Floor NYC in Midtown Manhattan or stream virtually. Over the course of the evening, we presented the inaugural Mimi Levin Lieber Legacy Award to the South Jamaica LINC Community, honored our Board Chair Carlos Rodriguez for his tireless advocacy, and raised more than $775,000 to secure the futures of countless young readers across our city! Thank you to everyone who attended our gala, virtually or in person, and to Sidley Austin, our presenting sponsor, and all of our sponsors for your support! We look forward to 25 more years of raising resilient readers with you. Visit our website to view more gala photos: www.lincnyc.org/blog.

Literacy Inc. P.O. Box 822 Katonah, NY 10536

*temporary mailing address When a child reads, a community succeeds!