Students at Snowville Elementary in Pulaski County have begun their new school year with participation in the Reading is Fundamental (RIF) program sponsored by The Woman’s Club of Radford. This first Woman’s Club RIF distribution at Snowville signifies an expansion for the club, which already does RIF at McHarg Elementary in Radford and at Riverlawn Elementary in Pulaski County.
With the cooperation of Principal Amy Shrewsbury, school librarian Diane Brillheart and Woman’s Club members, students at Snowville will receive a free book twice a year “that they can keep forever,” as one student said.
RIF guidelines stipulate that the books must be new and the club purchases theirs from Scholastic Books and Stizzirri Press.
Children are able to choose their own books from a wide selection grouped according to reading level. The selections include Read and Color, picture books, easy readers, and chapter books in both fiction and non-fiction. Students range from kindergarten to fifth grade and often their teachers help guide their selections.
Pre-kindergarten children have a story read to them and an assortment of books sent to their classroom from which they can choose. The Woman’s Club distributes 1900 books each year as part of RIF.
Additionally, the club’s Babies into Books (BIB) program gives approximately 1000 books annually to children born at Carilion New River Valley Medical Center in Radford.
The Woman’s Club mission is to promote literacy with a focus on the young, knowing that once the reading skill is acquired, it will be for life.
The Woman’s Club meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 10:30 a.m. at the Radford Public Library and new members are always welcome.
For more information visit Woman’s Club of Radford on Facebook and their website: www.woman’sclubofradford.org or by e-mail at wcr1901@yahoo.com. President Nancy Kolb may also be contacted at 639-5652.
