On April 29, 30 and May 1, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce joined Albuquerque Public Schools to celebrate the end of another successful school year for the ABQ Reads program.
ABQ Reads — now in its second decade — is a partnership between the Chamber and APS. Each week, more than 150 volunteer tutors spend 90 minutes of one-on-one reading and writing time with a kindergarten or first-grade student. Three Title I schools participate in the program — Whittier, Bel-Air and Atrisco elementaries.
During each of the celebrations at the schools, APS staff lauded the work of the teachers, students and volunteers. The students sang a song, a few students were picked to read a book out loud and all enjoyed cake at the end of each event.
On April 29 at Whittier Elementary School, APS officials, the Chamber and parents were on hand to celebrate the students in the program. New Principal Dr. Robert Sims Jr. kicked off the event with thanks to all involved and shared “at Whittier, we work hard, every day, to see that each of our students has the opportunities to be successful and do well in school. For our kindergarten students, we provide Albuquerque Reads. It is very important to us that we lay a strong foundation for our students so they can enter first grade ready for all of its challenges.”
Juan Garcia, a Whittier educational assistant, spoke in Spanish to the students and parents, saying, “Kids, we’ve seen each of you work very hard this year. Today you all are going to get a bag of books to keep you learning through the summer. Learning and reading is very important – you should never stop reading. There are libraries all over the city, and it is free to borrow a book. Ask your parents to take you to the library regularly and often. They have tons of different kinds of books to keep you busy over the summer.”
D’Val Westphal, Executive Vice President of Policy and Programs for the GACC, thanked this year’s sponsors who made Albuquerque Reads possible:
- Albuquerque Community Foundation
- James Danneskiold
- Daniels Fund
- DSRM National Bank-Valero
- ExxonMobil
- Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation
- Kars 4 Kids
- New Mexico Children’s Foundation
- Nusenda Credit Union
- PNM
- Sandia National Laboratories
- United Supermarkets – Albertsons
- United Way of North Central New Mexico
Westphal said this year – with the help of these sponsors and 169 dedicated tutors – Albuquerque Reads has been able to:
- Tutor 130 students a month
- Provide two take-home books to 200 students a month – that’s 4,300 books this school year
- Provide backpacks and school supplies to more than 200 students in December.
“We have end-of-year tote bags for students as well – with more books for summer reading and goodies thanks to Chamber partners Albertsons, Pizza 9, Chilis, Explora, NM Natural History Museum, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Read to Me, Intel, Costco and Jason’s Deli,” she said. “We at the Chamber are very dedicated to Albuquerque Reads and so impressed with the progress the students make every year – from how your drawings and writings advance over the year to how confident you have become with your tutors when you open a book and read.”
On April 30, it was time for Bel-Air Elementary School to celebrate.
During the event, parents heard from Principal Hannah Mainolfa, as well as Bel-Air Site Coordinator Sally Giannini and program assistant Julie Sena. Mainolfa said “parents and family members, you are the best advocate for your child. Encourage your child to read every day, let them read to you; this is the best way to get them ready for next year.”
The Chamber’s Albuquerque Reads Chair and KOB-TV General Manager Michelle Donaldson also spoke at the event.
“At the Chamber, we like to say ‘Readers Become Leaders’ – it’s why we partnered with Albuquerque Public Schools on Albuquerque Reads more than 20 years ago, why we’re here today and why we will be once again working with the amazing school site coordinators to go strong again in the fall,” Donaldson said. “To do that, we need more wonderful tutors like those here today – so please spread the word, tell folks how easy and rewarding it is to be a tutor, and tell them to check out ABQReads.com, where all the sign-up information is. That will help us give the gift of reading to more students.”
On May 1, Atrisco Elementary School students had the spotlight.
Not only did it include the end-of-year celebration, it also marked the 20th anniversary of Atrisco participating in the Albuquerque Reads program.
Marsha Artley, ABQ Reads site coordinator, said many of the tutors have been with the program for over 15 years.
“You have made a difference in our students’ lives,” Artley said.
Paul Madrid, vice chairman of the Chamber’s Education Bold Issue Group and managing partner of Madrid Wealth Management, told those gathered that collaboration between APS and the Chamber keeps Albuquerque Reads running smoothly. He noted that volunteers are vital to the program’s future and growth.
Author Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw’s book, “Like You, Like Me,” was given by the Chamber to each student in the ABQ Reads classes. She traveled from her homestead in northern New Mexico to spend the morning reading to Atrisco students in the program.
The Chamber would like to thank the group of volunteers over the course of more than 20 years, as well as APS and the staff in helping the program blossom. A heartfelt thank you also goes out to all the ABQ Reads sponsors mentioned above, as they make delivering 20 books to each child possible.
We also thank Michelle Donaldson for being the ABQ Reads Chair and her diligent work in getting the word out, and Paul Madrid, who keeps on top of the Chamber’s Education BIG. And the literal event topper this year, and last, is Dawn Warnack, owner of Urban Balloons by Dawn, who provided the balloon towers for all three events – each topped with a dinosaur that’s on the ABQ Reads logo.
Additional books were available at the Whittier event for students to take home to add to their personal libraries.
ABQ Reads celebrated the end of year with a program full of song, reading – and cake.
