Melody Newcombe
Special to the Tribune/Weekend Advisor
Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy celebrates Wednesday, Jan. 25, as Reach A Reader Day in Williams Lake.
The goal of Reach A Reader is to raise awareness about literacy. Community members were asked, “What does literacy mean to you?” Most gave great answers that referred to reading as a way to escape, armchair travel and an adventure with new friends.
However, the term literacy is often used to denote ability in many areas, such as, financial, digital, technology, political, cultural and physical.
So what does literacy mean to you? CCPL defines literacy as the complex set of skills necessary for daily life, employment, citizenship and personal enjoyment of our modern and diverse society influenced by lifelong learning, changing needs, skills use or retention, and health.
With the goal of promoting lifelong learning, CCPL offers free programs to assist learners of all ages. Books for Babies program gives new mothers a bag of books to read to their babies when they leave the hospital. For emergent readers the Bright Red Bookshelves have been placed around Williams Lake. You are welcome to take a book home to enjoy with a child or leave books for others to enjoy. CCPL offers programs and services to help with computer literacy, financial literacy, family literacy and much more. One-on-one volunteer tutoring programs are available for anyone who would like to improve their communication literacy — reading, writing and speaking. Be a lifelong learner! If you would like more information about CCPL’s programs, services or volunteer opportunities please contact Mel at 250-945-4199 or email mel@caribooliteracy.com.
RAR has been raising awareness of literacy in our communities for the past eight years. The community support in Williams Lake is always appreciated. Thanks to the Williams Lake Tribune for helping CCPL promote literacy and awareness.
Melody Newcombe is the operation support worker with the Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy.