Bank of St. Augustine employees  Donna Valentine, far left, Tricia Piper, right and Stacey Crouse, kneeling hold just a few of the many books being collected by the bank for local preschoolers, March 7, 2012.

Bank of St. Augustine collects books for preschoolers

The Bank of St. Augustine is holding a book drive during the Month of March for the Early Learning Coalition of Putnam and St. Johns.

New or gently used books for children ages zero through five are being collected in each of their four St. Augustine branches.  The books will be given to the ELC to help with various early literacy projects. The biggest book project the ELC has each Fall is the “Three Year Old Book Bag” project.  Each year, more than 600 book bags are filled with a dozen books and given to local three-year-old children from low income families that the ELC serves.

Please drop off donated books during bank lobby hours: Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.  For more information contact Gini Solano at gini@bankstaug.com or (904) 824-5600 ext. 1326. Flyers with more detailed information are available at each branch.

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Kiwanis Club of St. Augustine members Joan Whitson, Kerriane Constant and Clay Nettles (as the Cat in Hat), enjoy reading the Dr. Seuss book “10 Apples on Top” to the Head Start children at Crook Shank Elementary school in St. Augustine, March 6, 2012.

The Cat in the Hat visits local Pre-school children

The Cat in the Hat, along with volunteers from the Early Learning Coalition of Putnam and St. Johns County and the St. Augustine Kiwanis Club, made special visits to child care centers in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday.

In honor of Dr. Seuss birthday on March 2nd and in participation with Read Across America, the Early Learning Coalition held a drawing for all of the child care centers they work with in Putnam and St. Johns county to receive a special Dr. Seuss themed program at their center.

Four centers were the lucky winners:  Cathedral Parish Pre-school and Treasure Harbor Pre-school in St. Augustine, Polka Dot Learning Center in Palatka and Stay N Play Child Care in San Mateo.

Along with these four programs, the ELC joined with the Kiwanis Club of St. Augustine to put on the same program for the Head Start classes at Crook Shank Elementary school in St. Augustine.  Each program included a visit and story time with the Cat in the Hat; along with numerous other activities all centering around a different Dr. Seuss book.  Thanks to a generous donation from the St. Augustine Kiwanis club and ELC, each child received a free Dr. Seuss book.

“Exposing children to books and getting books into the hands of as many children as we can, is one of our greatest missions at the Early Learning Coalition,” says Joan Whitson, Early Literacy Coordinator for Early Learning Coalition of Putnam and St. Johns Counties and organizer of these outreach programs.

To quote Dr. Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.  The more that you learn the more places you’ll go.”

For more information about early literacy programs, please contact Joan Whitson at jwhitson@elcpsj.org or 904-819-3544.

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Contact:           Joan Whitson, Early Literacy Coordinator, jwhitson@elcpsj.org, 904-819-3544

Originally posted on December 18 on St.Augustine.com

More than 600 local 3-year-olds received an early Christmas gift from Clifford the Big Red Dog and his friends at the Early Learning Coalition of Putnam and St. Johns counties.

The ELC has just wrapped up its first-ever book bag project specifically for 3-year-olds, with 26 childcare centers, across Putnam and St. Johns visited by Clifford the Big Red Dog and volunteers from the ELC.

These centers were given book bags filled with a dozen books along with informative handouts for parents on the importance of reading.

“These three-year-olds and their families will have a dozen books to begin reading during a time when families are together,” said ELC coordinator Joan Whitson. “We hope the family will help these young children make reading an important part of their lives.”

This project was a community effort with monetary and book donations from: St. Augustine Kiwanis Club, Sunrise Rotary in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Rotary, Sunrise Rotary in Palatka and Hastings Rotary Club.

Additionally, a fundraising event, featuring Comedian Danny Johnson, was held at Jackie Knights Comedy Club in St. Augustine that raised $2,200 toward the project.

“Reading to children at an early age is crucial to their having the skills to be ready for school,” said ELC fundraising committee chair Maxine McChesney. “This is going to be a yearly program for the ELC.”

Ongoing donations to the ELC are greatly appreciated. It costs $25 for one bag of books. Visit elcpsj.org to donate or to find out more about the services of the Early Learning Coalition.

Become a fan of the ELC at facbook.com/elcpsj.

The Early Learning Coalition is holding a Reading Pal Training and Information meeting on Monday, Jan. 23^rd at 9 a.m. at the St. Augustine Record building.  The ELC is looking for dedicated volunteers who like to work with children who can commit to going into a local child care center once a week for an hour to read to children.  To register for the class, RSVP to Joan Whitson at 904-819-3544 orjwhitson@elcpsj.org.

COMEDY NIGHT TO BENEFIT EARLY LITERACY PROGRAMS

October 19, 2011

Early Learning Coalition

Contact:  Joan Whitson

jwhitson@elcpsj.org.  904-819-3544

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Comedian Danny Johnson to perform at Jackie Knight’s Comedy Club, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011 in St. Augustine, Fla. Proceeds from the Comedy Night will Benefit the Early Coalition of Putnam and St. Johns Counties’ Book Bag Program (www.elcpsj.org).

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., Oct. 19, 2011 – Comedian Danny Johnson knows the importance of reading.  While much of his comedic writing comes from experience, “lots of my jokes come from local and world news and events,” said Johnson. “I read all the time and I can’t imagine how difficult my job would be if I could not read.”

That’s just one reason Johnson, semi-finalist on Comedy Central’s “Laugh Riots”, has signed on to be a part of the Early Learning Coalition of Putnam and St. Johns Counties’ Comedy Night,  Sunday, November 6 at Jackie Night’s Comedy Club. Proceeds of the comedy night will benefit the Coalition’s literacy programs. The event is open to the public.

Tickets are $20 and may be purchased through www.elcpsj.org. Reservations can also be made by calling 904-461-8842.

The Coalition has a goal of filling bags with books for 500 three year olds in the area with the proceeds.

“We are very near our goal for the book bag project,” said Maxine McChesney, ELC Advocate Fundraising Chair. “Sponsorship opportunities are available and will help us reach that goal faster. Sponsors can purchase a table for four or may donate a prize for the silent auction.”

Contact Maxine McChesney at maxine@mcchesneylawfirm.com to become a sponsor or call 904-819-3544 for more information.

Johnson also recently won the Carnival Cruise Line Comedy Challenge. He’s been compared to Jackie Gleason, Jerry Seinfeld and Kevin James. Read about him and his clean comedy at www.dannyjohnson.com.

WHERE: Jackie Knight’s Comedy Club, inside Johnny’s, 3009 N Ponce De Leon Blvd., St. Augustine.

WHEN: Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011; 6 p.m. – silent auction and cocktail hour. 7 p.m. – show.

WHAT: A Clean Comedy night benefitting the Early Learning Coalition of Putnam and St. Johns Counties.

COST: $20. Pre-pay online at www.elcpsj.org or call 904-461-8842. First come, first serve cash only tickets available at the door. Reservations required. 18 and up.

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The Children’s Movement of Florida is kicking off  “Dream Prizes”, a  statewide promotion. This is a great opportunity to win some amazing prizes (listed below), while raising money to support The Movement’s 2012 legislative agenda and action plan (details to be announced the end of October).

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