“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild to pick up a book and read to a child.” – Dr. Seuss

Well, we have been off the grid for a bit. We have been reconstructing our website and by we, I mean Mary Flannigan, our Communications and Partnerships Director and a web wizard (from the world of the internet.) If and when you see Mary, please give her a big thank you! Wow! What an undertaking.

We are back and so happy to be reconnected. While we were gone, we finished up another school year (very successfully – stay tuned for Laura Nygaard’s data on the Reading Buddy Program). We kicked off the Super Summer Readers Program in collaboration with the Boys & Girls Club, San Antonio Youth, and Mr. Harvey Najim. We are once again offering SAYL’s summer program, Camp Read-Aloud, at Ella Austin Community Center and Catholic Charities at the Guadalupe Cultural Center. As you can see, the mission continues. No summer vacations here! And as if we weren’t busy enough, we partnered with Texas Public Radio to present a sold-out literacy awareness event, A Way with Words. A Way with Words is a nationally-distributed radio program about language and how we use it, presented every Sunday morning on our local public radio station – KSTX. We were so impressed with the number of “word nerds” in San Antonio.

Please know that there are opportunities this summer for you to get involved. Join us as a Super Summer Reading Sidekick or as a volunteer at Camp Read-Aloud. However, if you are off on summer adventures with friends and family, have a great break but be sure to come home to San Antonio Youth Literacy for 2018–19 and once again serve as a READING BUDDY. Remember you’re never too old, too wacky or too wild.

Dr. Deborah Valdez, Executive Director