Greater Mankato Area United Way
September 8, 2022
Amount Requested$17,000.00
127 S. 2nd St. #190
Mankato, Minnesota 56001
Laura Murray
Director of Operations & Communications
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- Broaden Perspectives Through Art, Culture, Literature or Extracurricular Experiences
Program Support
Greater Mankato Area United Way's mission is to unite the community to secure and invest resources to improve people's lives by focusing on the impact areas of basic needs, health, and education. We strive to identify, convene, and facilitate action around community issues and engage a diverse group of community leaders and strategic partners at all levels. We aim to be innovative and resourceful while developing and nurturing key relationships in order to build a better tomorrow for our region. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the heart of what it means to live united.
$17,000.00
$17,000.00
$3,058,340.71
Yes
This request aligns with the funding area of broadening perspectives through art, culture, and literature. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Olseth Family Foundation for our sixth annual Fourth-Grade Book Project, which provides new, hardcover copies of Shel Silverstein’s "Where the Sidewalk Ends" to area fourth-graders. By giving students their very own book, this project promotes literacy, poetry, exploration, imagination, creativity, and opportunity for all.
In Spring 2022, we distributed books to 1,650 fourth-grade students and teachers in 37 public and private schools in Blue Earth, Le Sueur, Nicollet, and Waseca counties. We were so excited to be back in person for presentations to students in 2022, following a couple years of remote interactions due to the pandemic. We are grateful to the Olseth Family Foundation for ensuring this program continued during those years.
Class sizes ranged from two students to 147. School staff and students alike were thrilled to welcome us back to their classrooms for delivery of the books and short presentations. Students were excited to receive this special gift and didn’t want to stop reading poems aloud. We heard incredulous comments such as “Are you sure I get to KEEP this?” and “My mom reads me this book from when she was little. Now I can read to her from mine!”
This project and its mission of literacy is reaching more people than ever as its community engagement continues to expand. Being back in person allowed us to once again recruit community volunteers and public safety representatives to help deliver books to Mankato-area schools. As Mankato Area Public Schools requests their presentations to be held simultaneously, volunteers are a key part of this initiative. About 35 community volunteers helped deliver books on May 12, 2022. This year, we held Zoom trainings for volunteers the week before the deliveries. This was a great addition to the program to ensure volunteers were prepared and even more excited. Additionally, local police and fire departments had at least one representative at each MAPS school. This was an important connection in building bridges and allowing public safety and students to interact in a positive environment.
The Fourth-Grade Book Project benefits children of all backgrounds and income levels, demonstrating the importance of access to books and poetry for ALL children. Each year, we hear again and again the students’ excitement as they discover new poems or share their favorites. Variously silly and thought-provoking, these poems show students that reading and poetry can be fun and meaningful.
Please note this year’s updated program budget is $17,000. This is to cover program costs of staff time to carry out the initiative, including coordinating with schools, recruiting and coordinating volunteers, delivering books throughout the four counties, media relations, and other activities.
The book deliveries highlight how much the gift of reading means to a child. Students and teachers embrace the opportunity to choose favorite poems and read aloud together. The schools are eager to participate, and they tell us how valuable these resources are—particularly as they are seeing widespread challenges and children falling behind in reading following the pandemic.
1,650 fourth-grade students and teachers
Blue Earth, Le Sueur, Nicollet, Waseca counties
1. Provide regional fourth-graders with a new, hardcover copy of "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein in order to grow their home libraries, regardless of income level.
2. Raise awareness of United Way's work in the impact area of literacy, encouraging others to get engaged whether through volunteering, donations, etc.
3. Increase United Way's reach and ability to positively affect children's lives.
1. Invite regional elementary schools both public and private to participate in the program by accepting the donation.
2. Promote the initiative among the community and media, focusing on not only the initiative itself but also the larger benefits of reading, writing, and poetry.
3. Provide books to all fourth-grade students within participating schools. Foster and grow relationships with schools throughout the region; be flexible in adapting to their needs in regard to deliveries and presentations.
1. Track how many schools participate and how many students are served.
2. Track and share media coverage, community interaction, and other general feedback.
3. Request feedback from schools and ideas for future projects and partnerships.
05/01/2022
06/01/2022
We are grateful for the leadership of Olseth Family Foundation in continuing this project and providing close collaboration. The foundation's dedication to literacy and access to books is having positive change in our region. We partner with schools throughout the region to accommodate their schedules, student enrollment, and teacher numbers. School leaders have been enthusiastic in collaborating. Corporate and community volunteers are an essential part of getting all the books into the hands of students. Public Safety is a valued collaborator in helping at the presentations and encouraging kids to read and be safe on their summer vacation. American Business Solutions for Business provides a discount for this program's branded stickers. The media has also provided great coverage of this region-wide initiative.
January 2022: Contact HarperCollins Publishing for book pricing estimates.
February-March: Contact schools for enrollment/teacher numbers and request donation acceptance; send follow-up communication; confirm school numbers. Contact American Solutions for Business (formerly Paragon Printing) for sticker quotes.
March: Meet with Mankato Area Public Schools regarding presentation planning. Place book order. Order stickers. Coordinate routes and distribution schedule with schools.
April: Contact volunteers for stickering/delivering. Confirm presentation plans and scheduling. Prepare books for deliveries by stickering and counting out for each school. Alert media of the deliveries and invite to presentations if applicable. Confirm any needed volunteers. Create scripts and talking points for delivery volunteers.
May: Host Zoom trainings for volunteers. Distribute books to schools and present the donation to students.
Unapproved