Oasis Literacy Project
the problem:
The women and children in Paterson are among the poorest among us, and have very little resources. While the mothers come to Oasis to get an education and to help them get "on their feet" their children are cared for on-site.
These children have very little exposure to literature. This program seeks to have an ongoing collection of literature avaialble at Oasis. With time, programs such as and including ours will allow for more and more less than fortunate children to become smarter and more developmentally sound due to an easier access to books.
vital stats:
people impacted:
300people involved:
5why it's important:
My family was involved in Oasis and one of the first times I visited I brought a few boxes of used books for the children. When I saw how excited they were to see them and hold them and look through them I was amazed. I saw how limited their exposure to books was in general compared to that of my peers. The Director told me how they would love to have a program to create an on-site library at Oasis, but their limited staff and resources did not allow it. I decided to see how I could help.
the plan of action:
My plan of action is to continue to replenish Oasis' on-site library through bi-annual book drives at several middle schools. Books are used in the nurturing center for the younger children who are at Oasis all day while their moms take classes, and for the after school program for school aged kids. However, in order to make sure the books are available to the children at Oasis once they get there, I would like to establish a "moblie" library using library carts so that the books can be brought into our Soup Kitchen where the after school program takes place.
how you can get involved:
Gently used books for pre-schoolers through middle schools can be donated.
Comments
Oasis sounds like a truly great program and your book drive sounds like an amazing idea that should definitely be put into action! If you are looking for funds to help purchase new books and educational toys for the program, you should try applying for a Do Something grant! Learn more about the grants here: http://www.dosomething.org/grants
Keep up the great work!