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NORTHWEST
ARKANSAS
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PHOENIX
Approximately 150 children participated in the event held
at Harmon Library. The kids were eager to read to EWI volunteers, or be
read to. The children were given goodie bags with supplies, candy, toothbrushes,
games, an assortment of small toys, and a dictionary - all donated by
EWI. Each child was allowed to select books to take home with them. Approximately
250 books and t-shirts were given away to the children. Many of the kids
hung around till the very end of the rally, not wanting to miss the drawing
for two backpacks. They all had their fingers crossed, and although disappointed
when their names weren’t called, were very gracious when the winners
were announced.
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ROANOKE
This year two third grade classes at Hurt Park Elementary school participated
in the Roanoke Reading Rally which included a reading content. Chapter
volunteers visited classrooms to discuss the rules of the contest, as
well as the the importance of reading. Then these classrooms enjoyed 30
minute readings by EWI volunteers every Friday from January through May.
The event culminated with an ice cream and brownie social
in May where award certificates were presented to all participants, and
plaques were presented to the student from each classroom that had read
the most chapter books. Also, EWI member, Dr.  Nancy
Barker, dressed up like a clown and made balloon animals for the kids.
The radio station donated the ice cream sent their mascot, Q-Bear, to
the event. The children expressed their appreciation with thank-you notes
and tissue paper flowers. They also made us a "We (heart) you EWI"
sign that hung in the cafeteria!
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SALT
LAKE CITY
In a year full of opportunities to shine, the recent help
and support given by our fabulous Chapter to the Corporate sponsored Reading
Rally was truly amazing! The Philanthropy committee felt that by combining
efforts with Joan Routh and the Corporate Board (instead of doing a separate
Reading Rally on our own), we would be able to make a larger impact on
our community. It was wonderful to see firsthand what can happen when
we all pitch in and work together for such a great cause.
 The
chosen location was the Sugarhouse Boys and Girls Club - the project included
remodeling and refurbishing not one, but two rooms. The first would be
the reading room and the second a tutoring/study area. Sound easy? Then
throw in a deadline of one week just to make the challenge interesting.
Our Chapter responded full force. Chris Stapley (pictured at left) ripped
out  old
carpet, patched walls, and was basically invaluable as he helped with
anything from painting to heavy labor.
 Other
Salt Lake City Chapter members took on the challenge of labeling and sorting
over approximately 1,500 donated books, and then moved on to sort the
existing books from the Boys and Girls Club inventory. It was so much
fun to see all of the titles and there were many exclamations of, “Oh!
do you remember reading this?” as we sorted. Finally the books needed
to be put on the shelves of the new brightly-colored bookcases.
Comfy chairs and reading lamps furnished with the help of
a generous $200  donation
from Smith’s Food and Drug are all set up just begging kids to grab
a book and read. Four new modular desks complete with desk supplies are
ready for kids to study or receive tutoring upstairs. Maps are hung and
mobiles swing from the ceiling.
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SAN DIEGO
 The
San Diego Chapter held a "Harry Potter" reading rally at the
downtown public library . Participants included we entertained homeless
and at-risk students fromthe Monarch School.
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TAMPA BAY
October was both national literacy month as well as national
domestic violence month. The Tampa Bay Chapter decided to promote both
as themes in its 2005 Reading Rally. The event was held at a local domestic
violence shelter, The Spring of Tampa Bay, which has an accredited school
housed within its facility. Children often arrive at The Spring in the
middle of the night with only the clothes on their back because parents
were in fear for their children’s safety when they left. So the
book bags filled with items such as books, pencils, Kleenex, games, calculators,
were very welcomed when they were given to the sixteen participating children.
The children also enjoyed story readings, crafts and snacks (cupcakes
and juice). The Chapter also donated eight Leap Frog handheld computer
literacy games, as well as a big supply of school supplies and games.
(For the safety of the children, photos could not be provided.)
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TUCSON
Approximately 500 student were involved in the Reading Rally
at the Robison Library. The event include a four day book fair where students
could purchase books in support of the library. Teachers sent any students
they knew would not be able to buy a book to a table from which they could
choose a book for free. Any remaining books were then donated to the Robison
library for all to enjoy.
Everyone who volunteered in the evening had the added treat
of watching some
of the childrens Folklorico event.
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WICHITA
On Monday, October 17th, the Wichita EWI Chapter held its annual Reading
Rally at Colvin Elementary School. Sixty third-graders enjoyed readings
by guest readers from the Marine and Navy Reserves. Everyone enjoyed a
lunch of pizza and cookies. At the end of the Rally, all the children
received a gift bag with a book, crayons, scissors and other items for
drawing.
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