Henderson volunteers advance cause of literacy

In honor of Make A Difference Day on Oct. 25, Henderson View set out to profile individuals and organizations dedicated to making a difference in Henderson and its surrounding communities. A desire to advance literacy is the mission of at least two Henderson-based organizations.

PROMOTING CHILDREN’S LITERACY

Spread The Word Nevada, 1075 American Pacific Drive, Suite B, is a nonprofit that promotes literacy while encouraging children to achieve academic success and develop a love of reading.

Since its inception in 2001, the organization has donated about 2.8 million books to more than 357,000 students at 30 schools valleywide, according to Lisa Habighorst, co-founder and executive director.

“We donate about 32,000 books to those 30 schools each month,” Habighorst said. “The schools are scattered throughout the valley in at-risk or low-income neighborhoods, where at least 80 percent of their students receive free or reduced lunches.”

The National Charity League Green Valley Chapter has collaborated with Spread the Word Nevada for about 10 years. Through the partnership, the chapter gathers donations and volunteers for the organization, according to chapter liaison Anna Antolick.

“We provide volunteers each week to provide assistance cleaning, counting and cataloging books. We also help collect book donations at some of our events,” Antolick said. “For the 2013 tax year, we donated 6,700 books to the organization.”

Recently, the chapter reached a milestone of cleaning 300,000 books with the nonprofit.

“Vegas is very unique in the fact that it has a very transient and high (English language learning) population,” Antolick said. “The school district is focusing on getting children to read by third grade, and Spread the Word Nevada is a great help in promoting that mission.”

In addition to donating books to schools, the organization also uses volunteers to staff family literacy and mentorship programs.

“We’re looking to grow to 60 schools in the next five years, which means doubling our progress and doubling our volunteer resources,” Habighorst said. “We definitely welcome anyone who wants to lend a hand and help us reach our goal.”

Volunteers are needed to count and organize books from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 25 at the organization’s office.

For more information, visit spreadthewordnevada.org or call 702-564-7809.

SUPPORTING HENDERSON LIBRARIES

Friends of Henderson Libraries was founded in 2000 to provide reading material to Henderson libraries.

Through the organization, about 200 volunteers work at the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway; the Gibson Library, 100 W. Lake Mead Parkway; and the Green Valley Library, 2797 N. Green Valley Parkway, according to president Marian Brown.

“Everyone involved is a volunteer,” Brown said. “There isn’t one person who gets paid a penny.”

Volunteers are in charge of running book sales, organizing and cleaning bookshelves, cataloging books, screening movies and DVDs, helping with information technology and more.

“For the fiscal year that just ended July 30, we gave the Library Board of Trustees about $136,000,” Brown said. “That came from our book sales, stores, Amazon project and things like that.”

Henderson resident Laura Darnell has been volunteering for more than six years and is in charge of the organization’s Amazon Project, a program that generates money by selling donated books on Amazon.com.

“We check our donated books for value on Amazon, and if they have enough value, then we list them for sale on the website,” Darnell said. “We have people at all three branches that scout for books the libraries don’t need, and then once they get sold, we have people that ship them out six days a week.”

The organization plans its 11th annual Library Tree Lane fundraiser Nov. 14 to Dec. 5 at the Paseo Verde Library.

Volunteers are needed throughout November to help sell gift baskets, table top trees and wreaths, Brown said.

For more information, visit hdplfriends.org or call 702-492-6592.

Contact Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher at cbelcher@viewnews.com or 702-383-0403.