I don’t think there is a more important social issue in New Brunswick than literacy and that is why I have spent the last twelve years of my life volunteering full time for the Frye Festival. No, we aren't teaching kids to read and write -- that is the job of our school system. But we are getting kids excited about words and what it means to be literate in our society…and every year during the Frye Festival more than 10,000 students get to meet authors in their schools, all at absolutely no cost to our school system.
Despite my enormous passion for the Frye Festival and everything that it stands for, I still find it incredibly difficult to ask people for money. So, here goes, this is my compelling argument for why you should consider donating some money to the Frye Festival!
In this world of divergent viewpoints, there is one thing that everyone agrees on: literacy is a good thing. Who is against literacy? No one. However, our country’s rates aren’t terrific and New Brunswick’s are some of the lowest in Canada.
- Did you know that 60-68% of Anglophones and Francophones respectively in NB cannot read beyond a Grade 4 level?
- Did you know that just a 1% improvement in literacy rates in Canada would translate into a $32 billion increase in national income?
- Did you know that raising literacy skills could create thousands of new jobs, lower unemployment and significantly raise personal income – all of which could play a big role in combating poverty?
But, we all know, improved literacy rates extend well beyond economic gain. What is the value of reading to our kids before bed? What is the value of a child meeting an author in his classroom and being inspired to write a poem? What is the value of a student winning a writing contest and deciding that she wants to be a writer? What is the value of a reluctant reader meeting an author who opens the world of imaginative literature to her? What is the value of kids being empowered to read lots of books because it is cool to read books? What is the value of an adult reading a book, feeding her imagination by meeting the author and becoming a more tolerant and civil citizen? What is the value of a 75-year-old who has never had a passion for reading, but given the chance to meet a "real live author" devours book after book?
Did you know that reading may make us better moral citizens? Recent research indicates that the number of storybooks that small children have access to is a direct predictor of how they are able to understand other people’s mental states.
Canada’s only bilingual international literary Festival and the largest literary event in Atlantic Canada relies heavily upon grants from government and corporate sponsors. But, increasingly, we are seeking support from community-minded individuals like you. Feeding the imaginations of kids all over our province every year is not without its costs. We pay for all authors’ travel and accommodation costs and for every school visit and event. Also, every year the Frye Festival:
- brings more than $1 million dollars to the local economy during the last week of April;
- puts Moncton and New Brunswick on the world literary stage through positive national media coverage;
- employs many creative professionals;
- helps local businesses such as cafes, restaurants, booksellers and hotels during a traditionally slow tourist time;
- brings national corporate dollars to our local community that wouldn't otherwise flow here; and
- assists more than 90 different partners to achieve their goals.
But, it is the less tangible accomplishments that are so important. In addition to the more than 10,000 students every year who meet Festival authors in their classrooms, there are the many creative kids who get the chance to perform their own work. The feedback from teachers, students and parents about the profound impact that these encounters have are awe-inspiring. The Kindergarten student who came home after meeting a Festival author in her class and insisted that she needed to write a new story every day, because stories are important; the middle school student, going through a tough year, who was able to express himself through writing and presenting his words, overcoming a difficult bullying situation; the high school student who performed five years in a row during the Festival and said that the Festival was the highlight of her high school life.
This is a minuscule sampling of the stories we have heard, and they don’t come close to telling the whole story.
Please consider making a donation to the Festival. All donations over $10 will receive a tax receipt and donors of $500 or more will be recognized in our program (120,000 copies printed and inserted in all NB dailies and in all copies of the Globe and Mail in Atlantic Canada). You can donate on-line and immediately receive a tax receipt.
Literacy begins in hearts, not heads…we all need to be inspired to open that book and allow it to transport us.
Thank you!
Dawn
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