Literacy Outreach and Roaring Fork Valley Early Learning Fund were both recently awarded $2,500 each from the Bessie Minor Swift Foundation.
The foundation, formed by the owners and founder of Swift Communications (parent company of the Glenwood Springs Post Independent), awards grants to programs that promote literacy, reading and writing skills as well as programs that focus on languages, sciences and interdisciplinary areas.
Since 2008, more than $620,000 has been awarded to deserving organizations in the communities where Swift Communications conducts business.
The Literacy Outreach program in Glenwood Springs works to support adult students who are at the lowest levels of literacy or English-speaking proficiencies. According to a news release, funds will be used to expand the tutoring library, purchase educational learning aids for adult literacy students, consumable textbooks, and to update assessment materials.
At Roaring Fork Valley Early Learning Fund, also located in Glenwood Springs, the grant will go to its pilot program, 1-2-3 Let’s Read, which helps increase the home libraries of young children and provide literacy-building guidance for parents, according to the release.
Children in four preschool classrooms (72 children) are to receive a free story book every month, and parents will receive a custom-designed worksheet of learning activities (in English and Spanish) specific to each book. Teachers will receive custom-designed classroom activities for each book.
Foundation funds are meant provide a direct match to funds from an individual donor, allowing the pilot program to reach twice as many children.
This year, applications were of exceptional quality, and more than $83,156 has been awarded to 37 deserving organizations.
“The Bessie Minor Swift Foundation thanks the many groups that took the time and energy to apply and encourages those that were not selected to submit applications in the future,” the release stated.
Applications will be accepted again starting Jan. 1, 2020, with a deadline of Feb. 15, 2020. For more information, visit the Bessie Minor website at http://www.bessieminorswift.org.
