Write On! For Literacy was founded by Dallas Woodburn in 2001 to encourage young people to discover confidence, joy, self-expression and connection to others through reading and writing.
Our projects include:
• Annual Holiday Book Drive: as of December 2009, more than 11,000 new books have been collected, sorted and distributed to disadvantaged youth. Donation sites include Boys and Girls Clubs, Project Understanding, Casa Pacifica, and the Ventura County Migrant Education Services. We have been told that for many recipients, these books are the only gifts they receive.
• Writing Contests: categories of short story, essay, and poetry for young writers in elementary school, middle school, and high school. Gift certificates to bookstores are awarded as prizes.
• Summer Writing Camp: held annually in Ventura, California for young writers ages 8-18. Students have FUN while also learning how to improve central components of their writing, including dialogue, characterization, plot and setting, through various creativity-inducing writing exercises.
• Classroom Visits: Dallas regularly visits schools to speak about her career as a writer and the importance of reading and writing.
• Online Resources: visit www.writeonbooks.org for author interviews, book reviews, inspirational quotes, and more. Dallas also interacts with youth – and adults – through her free monthly email newsletter. Subscribe at www.writeonbooks.org.
Interested in joining Write On! For Literacy?
We are always looking for new members who are passionate about reading and writing! Visit www.writeonbooks.org to learn more about what we do and share your ideas. You can also volunteer to host an event or start a chapter of Write On! in your town.
The Importance of Literacy
(thanks to the organizations ProLiteracy and My Own Book for providing these statistics!)
• In a 2008 survey of U.S. fourth-grade students, 13 percent reported never reading for fun on their own; an additional 16 percent read for fun only once a month.
• Illiteracy leads to a higher likelihood of poverty, crime and unemployment.
• Creative self-expression, such as writing in a journal, often leads to higher levels of self-esteem, empowerment, and engagement with others.
• A 2008 study done in Los Angeles by Dr. Rebecca Constantino with about 40 families from low- and high-income areas found that the low-income area elementary school children on average had no more than TWO books at home (many with none), while the high-income area children had close to 200!
Thank You to Our Supporters and Partners
• Ashoka Youth Venture
• Glamour Magazine
• Sally Hansen
• Congressional Award Gold Medal Program
• Jefferson Awards Program
• ProLiteracy
• My Own Book
• The Reading Tub
• Faith, Hope and Fiction literary magazine
• Cynthia Brian and Be The Star You Are literacy organization
• Small Publishers, Artists & Writers Network
• iUniverse.com Publishing Company
• Jensen Design & Survey
• Cabrillo Middle School
• Rose Avenue Elementary School