Sheltering Arms, Georgia’s largest nonprofit early education and child care organization, will host its annual read-a-thon and is inviting metro Atlanta communities to volunteer by reading to a class or participating in planned book-related activities.
 
The read-a-thon, called Operation Storybook, is the agency’s literacy program, launched 10 years ago in response to Reading Is Fundamental’s research finding that children who do not have access to books and do not read regularly are among some of the most vulnerable Americans, in terms of social outcomes.
 
“We have an intense focus on language and literacy, and one of our goals is to make sure every child has an early and meaningful relationship with reading,” said Blythe Keeler Robinson, Sheltering Arms’ President and CEO. “Operation Storybook is a fun way to involve the community in getting our little ones interested and excited about it.”
 
Every year, Sheltering Arms invites corporate and community groups, and individuals like parents, professional storytellers and special VIP guests – including political officials, police and fire departments, radio personalities and other local celebrities – to volunteer for 30-minute shifts and read from special-themed books or participate in fun activities that help bring the books to life.
 
This year, Operation Storybook will take place April 16-20, at all 16 Sheltering Arms locations, in conjunction with the Week of the Young ChildTM, an annual celebration of early learning, sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
 
In addition to the read-a-thon, Sheltering Arms emphasizes early literacy by providing all 2,400 children, 90 percent of whom receive financial assistance, with new age-appropriate books for their own home libraries.