{"id":12936,"date":"2015-08-26T14:27:58","date_gmt":"2015-08-26T18:27:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/?p=12936"},"modified":"2015-08-26T14:27:58","modified_gmt":"2015-08-26T18:27:58","slug":"junior-league-hosts-leap-into-literacy-event-free-public-event-promotes-literacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/2015\/08\/26\/junior-league-hosts-leap-into-literacy-event-free-public-event-promotes-literacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Junior League hosts Leap Into Literacy event; Free, public event promotes literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

FORT MYERS,\u00a0Fla. (Aug. 26, 2015) \u2013 Literacy is the key that unlocks an individual\u2019s ability to learn, which is why the Junior League of Fort Myers, Inc.<\/a> hosted a Leap Into Literacy event at the Literacy Council Gulf Coast on Saturday, Aug. 15.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was our first year of hosting the Leap Into Literacy event in partnership with the Literacy Council Gulf Coast, and the response we received from the community was phenomenal,\u201d said Junior League Literacy Outreach Chair Kristine Smale. \u201cThis wasn\u2019t just a backpack giveaway; we wanted to get kids excited for the new school year and show them that learning and reading is fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

According to Smale, children were divided into different age groups and spent two hours doing literacy related games and activities.\u00a0Parents were also involved with their own activities and games, which gave them an opportunity to have fun and get to know one another better.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was truly a wonderful opportunity to serve our community, and given the smiles and laughter I saw and heard throughout the day, I believe everyone had a great time,\u201d Smale added.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

All children received a backpack with three books and school supplies. Children, ages 2 to 12, who are part of the Literacy Council Gulf Coast\u2019s literacy programs, including its Moms & Tots and tutoring programs, as well as other local children who are interested in literacy were invited to attend.<\/p>\n

The Literacy Council Gulf Coast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to improving the English and reading skills of adults and children throughout cities in Lee, Hendry and\u00a0North Collier counties, including Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, LaBelle and Naples.<\/p>\n

Since 1966, the Junior League of Fort Myers has contributed more than one million volunteer hours to community projects and programs.<\/p>\n

To celebrate the Junior League\u2019s 50th<\/sup>\u00a0Anniversary in 2016, its members are encouraging all of Southwest Florida to join them in continuing their ongoing volunteer efforts. The challenge is simple. From June 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016, the Junior League is asking adults to commit to volunteering 50 hours of community service and\/or $50 to the local nonprofit(s) of their choice. Children, ages 6 to 16, are asked to donate 25 hours. Families are encouraged to take the challenge together if they wish. During this same time, JLFM members will also commit to completing 50 community service projects.<\/p>\n

Participants may commit to the challenge and track their hours by downloading a form on the Junior League\u2019s website at\u00a0www.jlfm.org<\/a>. At the end of the year, the Junior League will hold a celebration honoring all participants with a certificate and commemorative pin next May.<\/p>\n

Through the decades, the JLFM has made major contributions to Southwest Florida to support a wide variety of community needs, including founding the Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium, the Volunteer Service Bureau \u2013 Volunteer Action Center \u2013 now known as Volunteer Center Teen Court and the Women\u2019s Resource Center. It has also been active in feeding the hungry in the five-county area through the food drive at the annual Taste of the Town event, mentoring teenage girls in foster care, supporting self defense for women, preparing women to re-enter the workforce, creating a listening library for cancer patients, preserving historic architecture, supporting the Ronald McDonald House, distributing holiday food baskets, organizing holiday gift drives, providing gender-specific programming to teenage girls in juvenile justice, supplying backpacks to children in Harlem Heights Community and more.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0member\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0Association of\u00a0Junior\u00a0Leagues\u00a0International,\u00a0Inc., the Junior League of Fort Myers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit\u00a0organization founded in 1966 and made up of\u00a0women\u00a0committed to promoting\u00a0voluntarism, developing the potential of\u00a0women\u00a0and improving\u00a0the\u00a0community\u00a0through the\u00a0effective\u00a0action\u00a0and leadership of\u00a0trained volunteers.\u00a0Its\u00a0purpose\u00a0is exclusively\u00a0educational and\u00a0charitable.\u00a0The JLFM is also a granting organization, providing mini-grants to organizations throughout Southwest Florida\u2019s five-county area to programs that create better life outcomes for our area\u2019s youth. JLFM memberships are open to all women aged 21 and older of all races, religions and national origin who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism.<\/p>\n

For\u00a0more\u00a0information,\u00a0call\u00a0239-277-1197 or\u00a0visit\u00a0www.jlfm.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0 FORT MYERS,\u00a0Fla. (Aug. 26, 2015) \u2013 Literacy is the key that unlocks an individual\u2019s ability to learn, which is why the Junior League of Fort Myers, Inc. hosted a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,1],"tags":[2590,139,26,29,5212,663,4352,4355,5213,4975,4976,3088,5214,5215,664,2403,4979,5216,5217,5218,2619,1458,5219,519,16,1046,4217,4988,4294,1881,5220,19,2542,1278,4219,2596],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12936"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12936"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12936\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}