LTUSD and LTCC Gift of Literacy program brings joy of reading to local first graders

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - All 280 first graders in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) and Zephyr Cove Elementary are participating in the second annual Gift of Literacy day at Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) on April 26.

Each student will receive a new hardcover book and book bag and be exposed to the joys of reading with a special guest and storytime with local leaders and volunteers. Internationally known illustrator and artist Rafael López will start off the day with a presentation to the children in the school's gymnasium.

This program is through a partnership with LTCC and LTUSD and encourages childhood literacy in the hopes of a lifelong passion for books.

"If you can read, you can lead," said LTCC Superintendent/President Jeff DeFranco during the inaugural literacy day. "Reading is the gateway to learning. It is how you access all information."

The number of children receiving a free book is doubling this year thanks to generous donations from Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe and others made in the memory of retired teacher John Nemes through the Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation. With the extra funding, LTCC and LTUSD have been able to donate complete sets of the eight books selected for this year’s program to the public, allowing many more residents to read and enjoy these books along with local first graders. Books will be donated to each of the four LTUSD elementary schools, to Zephyr Cove Elementary, the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, the South Lake Tahoe Branch Library, LTCC’s Roberta Mason Library, and to LTCC programs including the Child Development Center and Tahoe Parents Nursery School.

“This is a truly worthy program that naturally inspires a love for great stories and books,” said LTCC Superintendent/President Jeff DeFranco. “It’s all part of a fun day where our kids get introduced to the college, and hopefully gets them thinking about it as a fun place to learn, where they belong.”

López developed a love for murals by artist Diego Rivera and others during his childhood in Mexico City. He eventually became a founder of the Urban Art Trail movement in San Diego’s East Village, creating a series of large-scale murals that brought the community together. López’s murals can be found in urban areas, at children’s hospitals, public schools, under freeways, and at farmer’s markets around the country.

As a children’s book illustrator, López was awarded the Silver Medal from the Society of Illustrators, New York Original Art show for his work on Bravo! Poems about Amazing Hispanics. He also won the 2016 Pura Belpré Medal from the American Library Association for his illustrations for Drum Dream Girl, and in 2010 for Book Fiesta.

López has illustrated seven United States postal stamps, including for the popular Latin Music Legend Series. In 2008 and 2012, he created official campaign posters for the Obama/Biden campaign to help win the Latino vote. López lives and works in an industrial loft in downtown San Diego and at his home/studio in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

After meeting with López and receiving their free books and bookbag, students will next join small group reading sessions led by community leaders. They’ll then be taken on a campus tour to explore the college’s science labs, Haldan Art Gallery, and the Roberta Mason Library, among other stops.

For more information about the April 26 Gift of Literacy event or to volunteer as a small group reader, please contact LTCC’s Superintendent/President’s Office at (530) 541-4660 ext. 210.