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Kids Read with DIL - Summer 2005 Read-a-Thon

July 1- August 31, 2005

Kids Read with DIL - Summer 2005 Read-a-Thon
Sponsored by the DIL San Francisco Board
P.O. Box 1315, Menlo Park, California 94026-1315

We are delighted to introduce you to Developments in Literacy (DIL) and its summer Read-a-Thon program. We are excited about the Read-a-Thon as a way to involve our children in a noble cause and introduce to them, maybe for the first time, the concepts of charity and compassion - the added bonus is that with this incentive they may increase their summer reading!

Many of us are already active in supporting causes we feel passionate about - here at DIL we feel that our children are not too young to find a meaningful way to do the same. We think that children reaching out to help other children who are not as fortunate as themselves will teach them important values that they will always carry with them.

Today in Pakistan, more than 100 million people are illiterate, living in conditions of grinding poverty and squalor, without any hope of improving their future prospects. Illiteracy not only diminishes hopes for individuals but also impedes the social, economic and political development of nations.

About DIL

DIL was launched in February 1997 in Southern California and its main purpose is to work for the eradication of illiteracy, in the remote and neglected areas of Pakistan, by establishing primary and secondary level non-formal schools for underprivileged children. Since its inception in 1997, DIL has succeeded in establishing 250 primary and secondary girls' schools in Pakistan's four provinces serving approximately 10,000 underprivileged children.

In June 2003, DIL decided to curtail expansion of new schools for two years and instead concentrate on improving existing schools. Specifically, the focus is currently on teacher training; improving infrastructure (e.g. building additional classrooms due to increase in enrollment) and classroom improvement (e.g. securing funding for materials, books, sports equipment, formulating policy for curriculum, admissions, etc.). Additional information on DIL, including financials and ongoing projects, can be found on our website www.dil.org

The results of our efforts have been gratifying: teachers are highly motivated; children find the cheerful, well-decorated classes very inviting; children come to school regularly and neatly groomed; and children's confidence is growing each day.

The main purpose of the chapter boards in the United States is fund raising and in the past the events have targeted mainly adults. This first time event, which we hope will become an annual program, is a way to involve our children and show them that they too have a lot to contribute towards the good of others.

What is a Read-a-Thon?

Basically, a Read-a-Thon works by having children read, in a specified time period, books appropriate to their ability and getting sponsors who will pay them for each book they read (for example, an uncle sponsors a child $1.00 per book read and the child reads 15 books in that time period, that's $15.00 raised). Sponsors can be anyone - yourselves, other relatives, friends, neighbors, etc. - lots of sponsors and lots of reading means lots of money raised!

Although many children read on a regular basis, participating in this program will give their summer a more meaningful tone. Children will be using their own literacy to help those who are not so fortunate.

We hope you agree this is a great idea for a great cause and will encourage your children to participate. The program is open for all kids ages 5-12 and the reading period will be from July 1 to August 31 - and the best thing is they can do this wherever their summer plans may be taking them.

We will send each child a complete information packet explaining both DIL and its mission, as well as how to participate in the Read-a-Thon, how to seek out sponsors and what to say to them. We will also be in touch throughout the summer reminding you of upcoming deadlines and what needs to be done. We are also working with donors in the community to give out prizes for most money raised in each age group and we will of course recognize the contribution each child makes, regardless of amount, at a family party in September.

Please pass us the names of your children so we can send them an information packet - and feel free to pass this email on to others. If you think we might have missed an important target group - such as a Sunday school your child attends please let us know and we will contact them.

We can be reached at 650-903-4131 or by email at paru@sbcglobal.net

We think this will be a fun and rewarding summer activity and look forward to your family's participation!