Greetings:
It is that time of year again where we consider various financial donations and toy drives. In 2018 we offered a new "gift" to donate toward, which will last a lifetime. The gift to read. Many youth in our community fall behind in their reading skills at an early age. Reading Specialists and Teachers will tell you that learning to read and continuing the skill at an early age is critical for the rest of a person's life; because trying to learn the fundamentals of reading, later, such as in high school is incredibly challenging. Our community deserves a bright future for our youth! "Community Read" began in 2018 as a way to use donations to hire Reading Specialists in the summertime to work with youth who are behind in their reading skills. Since 2018 the community's donations and donations from the Evjue Foundation have paid off. Each summer Reading Specialists work individually at the Meadowood Library with 20-25 youth who are behind in their reading skills. The growth in skills and confidence is remarkable to note the least! At the end of the summer session, there is an award ceremony and there is noticable joy in the youth who grew their skills and appreciation for the gift that will last their lifetime. Your donations are critical to help continue this program next year and beyond.
As awesome as it is to see a child open a fun toy gift, I can assure you the gift of a lifetime is learning to read. If you are interested in donating, please see the Madison Community Policing Foundation website (as they manage the program) or mail a check to "Madison Policing Foundation" PO Box 44246 Madison, WI 53744 and write "Community Read" in the subject line. Their donation link is listed here:
https://www.madisoncommunitypolicingfoundation.org/donate
Enjoy the Holidays with safey in mind!
Mike Hanson
Captain - Madison Police Department
Central District