News Summary
Spread the Word Nevada held its grand opening with strong community support, featuring guests like the CCSD Book Bus and local sports teams. The event emphasized improving childhood literacy with initiatives such as a book drive and the unveiling of the Justyn Boumah Library, created by a young philanthropist. The Las Vegas Rotary Club’s significant contributions underline the community’s commitment to enhancing education. This opening marks a critical step toward ensuring children in Nevada have the necessary resources to foster a love for reading and achieve literacy success.
Las Vegas – Spread the Word Nevada (STWN) celebrated its grand opening on Saturday with a significant turnout from the community, including local organizations, sports teams, elected officials, and businesses. The event underscored STWN’s commitment to advancing childhood literacy across Nevada, as attendees gathered to support this vital initiative.
Among the notable guests at the grand opening was the CCSD Book Bus, which promotes reading among children. The event also included representatives from various Vegas sports teams and local officials, emphasizing the community’s involvement in fostering literacy among the youth. A book drive was organized during the event, encouraging attendees to donate children’s books, further enhancing STWN’s efforts to boost literacy rates.
The celebration also featured the unveiling of the Justyn Boumah Library, a project founded by 10-year-old Justyn Boumah at FuturEdge Academy. This library stands out as it is the first one built at a local school by a young philanthropist who has constructed several libraries around the world. The Justyn Boumah Library is designed to provide an engaging space for children to read, play, and learn, aiming to make literacy not only accessible but fun for young readers.
Justyn Boumah has expressed the importance of creating interactive environments that encourage a love for reading. His family’s past efforts to build libraries have relied on community donations, and they plan to continue this commitment to enhancing literacy among children. Their goal is clear: to help children reach reading proficiency by at least the end of third grade.
The Las Vegas Rotary Club played a substantial role in STWN’s success, making their twelfth annual donation of $25,000 specifically for childhood literacy programs. Since 2011, the Rotary Club has contributed a total of $264,000, showing a long-standing commitment to improving education in the area. Longtime member Tom Thomas has actively matched club grants dollar for dollar for the last seven years, further amplifying the club’s contributions.
Kirk Alexander, the president of the Las Vegas Rotary Club, reaffirmed the organization’s dedication to empowering young readers. In the 2023-24 fiscal year, the club donated a total of $271,000 to various local and international organizations, showcasing their extensive outreach. Additionally, they raised $120,569 for the Santa Clothes program, highlighting their focus on community benevolence across multiple initiatives, including youth education, food insecurity, and community service.
Last year’s donations by the Rotary Club supported various initiatives aimed at improving youth literacy, offering scholarships to local elementary schools, and contributing to programs at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). By understanding the critical importance of literacy in securing a promising future for children, STWN and supporting organizations continue to collaborate in engaging the community and advancing essential literacy initiatives.
The grand opening of Spread the Word Nevada marks a significant milestone in the ongoing effort to uplift childhood literacy in Nevada. Through community support, donations, and dedicated programs, the goal remains to inspire a love of reading and ensure that children across the state have the necessary resources to succeed academically and personally.
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Additional Resources
- KTNV: Nevada Nonprofit for Childhood Literacy Celebrates Grand Opening
- Wikipedia: Childhood Literacy
- KTNV: 10-Year-Old Builds Innovative Library
- Google Search: Child Literacy Initiatives
- 8 News Now: Spread the Word Nevada
- Google Scholar: Child Literacy Programs
- The Nevada Independent: Opinion on Literacy Rates
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Literacy Rate
- News 3 LV: Las Vegas Rotary Donates to Literacy Programs
- Google News: Literacy in Nevada
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