Americorps Reads Initiative And Chicas Latinas Of Faribault Awarded $1,000 To Lead A Service-Learning Campaign For Global Youth Service Day
By Christina Wessell
State Farm Companies Foundation Supports Service-Learning Projects in Faribault, MN and Across America FARIBAULT, MN 4/14 – The AmeriCorps READS in Collaboration with Chicas Latinas will receive a $1,000 award to launch a service-learning project for Global Youth Service Day on April 25, 26 and 27, 2008.  Chicas Latinas is one of 100 State Farm® Good Neighbor Service-Learning Award winners chosen by Youth Service America and funded by State Farm Companies Foundation. The Chicas Latinas semester of service is a service project that is focusing on the power of Literacy.  Twice a week the girls meet and learn about the fundamentals of literacy and the importance of reading.  From this knowledge the girls are working hard on developing an informational brochure for the parents of Head Start Families in Faribault, MN.  The goal for the girls is to encourage every Head Start Parent to read to their pre-school aged child everyday.  The girls have also worked hard on developing Refrigerator Magnets for the parents to take home with them.  In this way, the girls feel the parents will have a constant reminder to read a book to their children.  The group will hand out these things for the parents at a Head Start literacy event.  To wrap up the semester of service, on Global Youth Service day, the girls will conduct a city wide book drive to distribute to the Head Start families who otherwise may not have access to books.  Throughout the semester, the girls have taken to heart the great impact a parent can have on their child just by reading them a book everyday.  The girls saw the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of many families by encouraging them to read to their children. This grant has been an amazing opportunity for these girls to make this change happen.  Thank You State Farm!! “It is an amazing thing to watch a young person encounter a problem, discover a solution, and finally to feel empowered to see that solution become a reality.  That is the beauty of service learning.  Thank You State Farm for bringing this gift of empowerment to our youth!”  -    Kerry Shea AmeriCorps Reads Initiative Member “The State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning grant winners demonstrate unprecedented global caring and initiative, showing the world that young people can be leaders today, not in some distant tomorrow,” says Steve Culbertson, president and CEO of Youth Service America. “By combining the dynamics of leadership, service and learning, the grant recipients build some of the most valuable skills— academic achievement and workforce readiness.” "State Farm is proud to partner with Youth Service America.  As our partnership has grown so has our respect for YSA’s work. Through its strong leadership, young people around the world are experiencing fundamental necessities of democracy - the ability to serve and give back to their community - while gaining academic and workplace readiness skills that are valued by State Farm. We share with YSA the common belief that our young people are not tomorrow's leaders, they are leaders today,” says Edward B. Rust Jr., Chairman and CEO, State Farm   Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world. Global Youth Service Day is a year-round effort to expand the impact of the youth service movement. The initiative launches new service organizations, policy changes, and sustainable service programs to create a culture of engaged youth. State Farm Companies Foundation is the presenting sponsor. More than 120 national partners and 75 lead agencies throughout the United States organize campaigns. Overseas, national lead agencies in more than 100 countries participate. Youth Service America is a national nonprofit resource center that partners with thousands of organizations in more than 100 countries and is committed to increasing the quality and quantity of volunteer opportunities for young people ages 5-25, to serve locally, nationally, and globally. Founded in 1986, Youth Service America’s mission is to expand the impact of the youth service movement with communities, schools, corporations, and governments. For more information: www.YSA.org. State Farm® insures more cars than any other insurer in North America and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 75 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.7 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 31 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®. # # # MEDIA CONTACT:    Kerry Shea                 Americorps READS Initiative        507-363-6066                 kshea32 at hotmail.com
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