The Gift of Literacy inspires young readers in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - For the past seven years, Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) has hosted Gift of Literacy, a program developed to foster a love of reading among young children while enhancing literacy rates in the community.

Through the support of community partnerships and generous donors, the program aims to involve every first grader on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe.

The Gift of Literacy seeks to inspire excitement for reading and learning through:

Diverse Reading Exposure: Throughout the year, students read several books that have been carefully selected by a committee.

Empowerment through Choice: Each student chooses their favorite book and receives a hardbound copy at the celebration.

Promoting Reading Enjoyment: Community members, and sometimes authors, read to small groups of students at the celebration.

College Campus Introduction: The event is held at Lake Tahoe Community College, providing students an opportunity to explore the campus and be welcomed by volunteer staff and faculty.

Each year, the event highlights a diverse array of high-quality children’s books and invites one guest author to campus to speak with the children. This year's event featured Nicholas Solis, author of My Town, Mi Pueblo, as the guest author. Solis has been writing since childhood, starting with knock-off Encyclopedia Brown mysteries and poetry. He is a recipient of the Walter Dean Myers Grant from We Need Diverse Books and has been recognized with several awards for his contributions to diverse literature. In addition to his work as an author, Solis has been an educator in Austin, Texas for nearly a quarter century.

In the audience for Solis’ presentation and reading were 275 first-grade students from Bijou, Meyers, Sierra House, Tahoe Valley, and Zephyr Cove elementary schools. All the students had been introduced to Solis’ book and the four additional books by their teachers to familiarize them with the stories. The five chosen books this year were:

My Town, Mi Pueblo by Nicholas Solis
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
Berry Song by Michaela Goade
I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott & Sydney Smith
What Would Darla Do? by Adir Levy & Ganit Levy

“Celebrating the Gift of Literacy at Lake Tahoe Community College is a testament to our community's commitment to education and literacy,” said Jeff DeFranco, President/Superintendent at LTCC. “We are proud to be part of a program that inspires young minds and fosters a lifelong love of reading.”

The success of the Gift of Literacy program is made possible through the generous support from several organizations, including the Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation, Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe Women’s Community Fund, Desolation Hotel, and donations in honor and memory of retired teacher John Nemes. Lake Tahoe Unified School District also plays a critical role in making this event possible year after year.