Literacy

American Girl Doll Project

 

Starting in April 2016, the Junior League of Lake Charles expanded its partnership with the Calcasieu Parish Public Libraries with a new, literacy-focused program: Read to Your Doll. Programs such as these allow young children to gain confidence reading aloud to a nonjudgemental audience.  Dolls and toys offer an alternative audience and are widely available to most children. These events are for everyone. Boys and girls of all ages are welcomed and invited to bring any doll, toy, or stuffed animal they wish. The program is an extension of the American Girl® doll partnership with the library, but it is meant to serve a greater purpose and meet the needs of a wider audience. The Read to Your Doll events usually consist of introducing new dolls, reading a story aloud, allowing students to read to their dolls, offering light refreshments, and providing crafts for attendees.  Since 2016, the Junior League of Lake Charles has donated over 20 dolls to Calcasieu Parish Public Libraries.

Dates, times, and library locations for the Read to Your Doll programs can be found on the Junior League calendar and the Calcasieu Parish Library Events Page.

 

Read for the Record

Read for the Record® is a global movement that was launched over a decade ago to address the importance of building early literacy and language skills for EVERY child. It is the world’s largest shared reading experience, and the Junior League of Lake Charles is proud to continue its participation through the Literacy Committee.
Junior League volunteers read a book chosen by Jumpstart to students across Calcasieu Parish every October.

Unable to go into schools in 2021 due to the Covid 19 precautions, the Junior League of Lake Charles adapted the concept into Read for the Record LIVE, and a community-based event was created. Read for the Record LIVE takes place in an open-air setting and features a local Celebrity reader who reads the book of the year to attendees.

 

Click Here for more information on Read for the Record.

 

Please contact literacy@jllc.net if you are interested in having your school as part of this event!

Reader Feeders

The Literacy Committee has commissioned, installed, and continues to maintain 4 Reader Feeders located at Port Wonder and the Children’s Clinics in Moss Bluff, 1st Ave, and Lake St. The Reader Feeders serve as a home for books that area children and their parents can pick up, read, return, or even keep.  It is a fun way to promote the love of reading and, in turn, help our community’s youth build vital literacy skills for their future.

 

Literacy Events

 

By partnering with local schools and the Boys & Girls Club the League helps meet our mission-driven goals by giving local children access to books and showing them that reading is a shared activity and there are people here to help them learn. At these events, we encourage families to read together. League volunteers guide children through literacy-based activities by providing books, literary games, and writing exercises.

There are several of these events at different locations throughout the year. Please check the JLLC calendar or contact literacy@jllc.net for more information.