Ah….August has arrived and where on earth did July go? It seemed like it was only about 5 days long and yet I managed to pack quite a bit into that month. I am sure everyone else probably feels the same way – it is what happens as we age. Don’t you just hate that term? As we age…. I don’t know about you but I feel like aging is a good thing. No more worrying about trivial things of years gone by. I embrace every day and rejoice that I have yet another day to be doing all of the things that I love the most.
So during the month of July I chose The White Squirrel Institute as my recipient of our Comments for a Cause blog posts and many of you have faithfully stopped by and entertained me with your witty and insightful comments on my not so witty and not so insightful posts. I so appreciate all of you who take the time to stop by and read my blathering on about things and am constantly surprised at who actually does. Even if you just read once a month I am so grateful. Blogging is kind of a dead thing to some these days but as long as I continue to have fun with it I will continue to regale you with stories and pictures of It’s Just Life Beth Ann style.
But I digress. Today is all about the comments and thanks to you, Chris and I will be making a donation of $96 to The White Squirrel Institute and somehow I think that amount might be rounded up a little bit. Thanks to all and to the Institute for all that they do to educate and continue to help save our beautiful white squirrel population in Transylvania County.
If you know me, you know how important reading and literacy is to me. Somehow I have become not only the cat lady and teapot lady but also the book lady. I am fine with that. Books have been a part of my life forever and will continue to be at the top of my list of favorite things. Nothing will change that. I found another local program that I think is worthy to be part of the Comments for a Cause Family and so during August all comments will help support Augustine Literacy Project here in Brevard, NC.
Mission: It is the mission of Augustine Literacy Project-Brevard to help improve the reading, writing, and spelling abilities of low-income students who struggle with literacy skills. The project trains and supports volunteer tutors who provide free, long-term, 1:1 instruction using the Orton-Gillingham approach and Wilson Reading System® materials.
Thanks to an informative website I have learned a little bit about Augustine Literacy Project and what they do. According to their website they serve the following students.
We serve students in grades 1-12 who qualify for free or reduced-cost lunch and are struggling with literacy skills. Participants are referred to the program by family members, guardians, teachers, counselors, or learning disability specialists.
The two eligibility requirements to receive an Augustine tutor are:
- The student qualifies for free or reduced-cost lunch.
- The student is scoring below grade level performance in reading, writing, or spelling.
Augustine Literacy Project is partnered with all the elementary schools in Transylvania County (Rosman Elementary, Brevard Elementary, TC Henderson Elementary, Pisgah Forest Elementary, and Brevard Academy).
The organization did not start in Brevard but instead has roots in Chapel Hill, NC where it was created in 1994 by Holy Family Episcopal Church. Augustine Literacy Project-Brevard is the twelfth chapter of the Augustine Literacy Project chartered in 2012. The chapter has an active board who oversees the 501(c)(3) organization and it continues to make an impact in our community.
Please join me this month, stop by It’s Just Life often and leave me a comment. For each comment made on any blog post Chris and I will make a 50 cent donation to Augustine Literacy Project- Brevard. We are thrilled to highlight them and their work and thank the volunteers and board for their work in our community. Job well done.
Want to know more about Augustine Literacy Project? Click here to go directly to their website.
