In This Issue
Heather’s Corner
Voice of a Volunteer
Rachel’s Tip of the Month
School Spotlight
Meet the Board
Events and Opportunities
Heather's Corner, Heather Farber, Executive Director
This is Your Newsletter
Welcome to the first edition of the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children’s new volunteer newsletter, The WePACket!  We look forward to using this as a way to bring you relevant updates, information, tips, and opportunities throughout the school year.  We’d also like to experiment with this as a forum for you to ask questions and share information.  Please feel free to leave a comment through our web page, We’re new at using the web comment functionality, but we’ll do our best! You can also email us.

I admit this first edition is pretty lengthy (my update will be much shorter next time, I promise!), but I hope you find it answers questions you may have but haven’t asked. Knowing this new newsletter would be coming, we held off on sending our usual What’s Happening at WePAC newsletter that goes to a larger audience of donors, supporters, and volunteers. Starting this spring, we’ll resume What’s Happening at WePAC with general organizational news and updates suitable to our broader audience, and the WePACket will focus more on volunteer news and information sharing.
   
WePAC has come a long way over the past year. Through the dedication of our amazing volunteers, Board of Directors, and so many others who lent a hand, we navigated through transitions and uncertainty to where we are today – an organization on much firmer ground, proudly bringing the joy of reading to more children across more schools than ever this academic year.

That’s right – WePAC is now serving nearly 5,000 children at 14 schools, up from 4,200 across 13 last year.  How did we do it?  With your help! Volunteer teams at several schools were able to arrange schedules to begin seeing higher grades for open checkout. Plus, with the helping hands of about 50 people, we opened new libraries at Global Leadership Academy South West (the former Huey School) and Global Leadership Academy West (her sister school) in November.  Global Leadership Academy’s CEO recently told me that WePAC has brought to life the kind of school library experience she has always envisioned for her students.  In all, I’m estimating that WePAC volunteers will deliver about 15,000 hours of service this year, including about 1,000 through our Library Buddies reading mentoring program.

Building on prior years’ success with guest reader and author/illustrator visits, we have expanded this type of special events programming into something called “Library Café.” These events bring in special guest readers or speakers to help make real world connections to literature. So far this school year we’ve hosted or scheduled the following Library Cafés:
  • Councilwoman Blackwell (Lea) – election/voting theme
  • Illustrator E. B. Lewis (Heston) – thank you to team leader Sherry Shaeffer for making this happen!
  • Santander Bank guest readers (Longstreth, Cassidy, Gompers and Rhoads) – money/savings theme
  • Former elementary school principal Ellen Milgrim (Powel) – Chinese New Year theme
  • Officers Stehly and Woodhouse from the 16th Police District (McMichael) – thanks to volunteer Gary Travis for making the connection!
  • CBS3 Meteorologist Kate Bilo (Global Leadership Academy West) – Dr. Suess and weather theme on March 2, Dr. Suess’s birthday
Our goal is to hold at least one Library Café event at each of our schools as part of this pilot program this school year. Rachel and I are working on leads for events at schools that haven’t yet hosted one this year, so we’ll be in touch with the teams as plans develop.
Positive Financial Progress
On the financial side, we have made swift and significant progress strengthening our relationships with funders, improving cash flow, and building reserves.

It was almost a year ago that we pulled together a volunteer Writers Group ( Eileen Hillman, Ellen Rosen, Jeri Davis, Gary King, Margie McAboy, Ron Kanter, Ruth Brader, Judith Hyman, and me) to prepare a flurry of grant proposals to help reestablish our footing. The response received was nothing short of astonishing in terms of both volunteer writer support and the number of proposals approved. Early acceptances from funders like the Samuel Fels Fund, the William King Foundation, the John K. and Elizabeth W. Knorr Foundation, the Christopher Ludwick Foundation, and Union Benevolent Association reaffirmed what we already knew – that others see tremendous value in what we deliver to the children of Philadelphia. 

Energized by this momentum, we aggressively pursued other foundations with favorable results from the Claniel Foundation, the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, the Hamilton Family Foundation, the Thomas Skelton Harrison Foundation, the Allen Hilles Fund, the Lindback Foundation, the Stratton Foundation, the Henrietta Tower Wurts Memorial, and too many others to list. Add to that increased corporate support, with first-time funding coming from Santander Bank, the Subaru Foundation of America, Walmart and Wegmans; renewal funding from several donor advised funds of the Philadelphia Foundation; a solid showing from our third annual Generosity 5K (terrific job, runners and fundraisers, and special thanks to corporate sponsors Raymond James, Morgan Stanley, and S.T. Hudson Engineers!); successful individual donor appeals, including our strongest-ever Giving Tuesday campaign; a Barnes & Noble gift wrapping season that allowed us to raise four times more than the prior year and spread our message to hundreds of people (thank you to all of the volunteer wrappers!); and other development activities. 

This work is more “inside baseball” than many volunteers care to know about, but I thought it important to let you know that WePAC has climbed to a much stronger financial position. As Executive Director, I consider it my duty to deliver solid financial results through developing and maintaining meaningful relationships with our donors, diversifying our funding sources, and disciplined budgeting.

Changes to Staff and the Board

The board of directors and I also share a commitment to responsible staffing. In looking at our budget and the needs of the organization this fall, we made a decision to eliminate an office/operations contract position and bring back a program manager staff position. The goal was to align our limited resources in a way that would better support our programs and volunteers.

Our new Library and Literacy Program Manager, Rachel Robinson (maiden name George), oversees volunteer needs, recruitment, training, and programming. Some of you have already begun to get to know Rachel, and I hope you agree she is a tremendous asset to the organization. She brings a fresh perspective and new ideas grounded in her experience doing programming with the Free Library of Philadelphia’s after school program and with Spells Writing Lab.  

We are now fortunate to also enjoy the help of two contractors each month: a bookkeeper and a grant writer. For now I have picked up responsibilities related to acknowledging donations and keeping Facebook active (please “like us” today if you haven’t already!). Over time we may add more staff, but we will be sure to do so thoughtfully, in a manner consistent with our financial situation and the needs of the organization.

WePAC’s board of directors has also undergone recent changes. After serving two three-year terms each, Siobhan Reardon (President and Director, Free Library of Philadelphia) and Bernie McNamee (McNamee Real Estate Advisors) rolled off the board. In addition, board President Keith J. Richardson accepted a new position as Deputy Chief Financial Officer of Washington, D.C., and so he stepped off the board. We were pleased to welcome the following new board members:  Lynne Breslau (longtime WePAC volunteer and current Cassidy co-team leader); Joel Nichols (children’s librarian overseeing strategic initiatives at the Free Library of Philadelphia); and Robert Kronley (non-profit consultant and President, Kronley & Associates). Board officers are now: Ruth Brader (President); Judith Hyman (Vice President); Lynne Breslau (Secretary); and Bruce Fryer (Treasurer). The “Meet the Board” feature of the WePACket will profile a board member each month to help you get to know them.
Send Us Your Questions
In future editions of the  WePACket , I’ll share updates and thoughts on WePAC focus areas. For example, I’ll update you on an exciting project to distribute reading-motivation “swag bags” and a book to every third-grade child we see. I’ll update you on our progress to “Reach for the Stars,” aiming to bring library access to all children in the schools where we run libraries. As possible, I’ll also update you about the  transition of two of our schools  (Blankenburg and Heston) to the School District’s Turnaround Network. We currently operate the library at McMichael, which is also in the Turnaround Network. 

If you have ideas or suggestions for topics you’d like this newsletter to address, please email us at volunteer@wepac.org We’d love to hear from you!

Whenever I introduce WePAC to people, I tell them this: WePAC has the absolute best, most dedicated group of volunteers you could find anywhere. You are the heartbeat of our organization, helping children love to read, inspiring them to pick up a book, and another, and another. You are helping them explore… imagine… succeed! Thank you for your commitment to WePAC and all the children we serve.

Best,

Heather

P.S. I’d like to extend my thanks to Cook-Wissahickon volunteer Ron Kanter who recommended the structure, came up with the name WePACket, and is leading the coordination effort!  

Voice of a Volunteer, Carol Caswell

This is Carol’s 3rd year as a WePAC volunteer at Morton McMichael Elementary School.  This year, she also added an afternoon at one of our newest schools, Global Leadership Academy West. We recently spoke with Carol about her involvement with WePAC.

How did you become a WePAC volunteer?  After a 45-year career as an IT professional in Fortune 100 companies, I was starting to transition to retirement (a process that it still going on) and saw a need for WePAC volunteers on VolunteerMatch.  It sounded perfect!  Libraries and education are really special to me. I loved both my school and public libraries and spent a lot of time as a child reading.  My first job in Jr. High was working in a Public Library. My Mom was a Librarian and our daughter is a Special Collections Conservator and Bookbinder at the Michigan State University Libraries. 

As a Philadelphia resident, I had been all too aware of the issues in our educational system.  I attended a WePAC orientation session and was dismayed to learn about the state of the school libraries. Right then and there I knew that becoming a WePAC volunteer was the right match for me!
What does a typical day at McMichael look like?   Every day brings new opportunities and challenges!  First and foremost, the kids are incredible. They truly enjoy coming to the Library and always wave and smile when we see them in the hall or outside in the schoolyard.  It brings a smile to my face every time.

Our “normal” routine is to welcome the students and chat for a few minutes about their day or a particular current event.  We then read and discuss a story or two.  Next, despite our guidance to walk, the students eagerly run to the shelves to choose a book to check-out.  Oh my, princess and superhero books are in high demand and short supply.  We do our best to encourage exploring other subjects but tears do sometimes appear.  The reading level within a class varies greatly so helping students choose an appropriate book is important. Many children don’t have books at home and often move between various family member homes.  We do have an issue with books being returned on time…or ever.  We often see students hugging their chosen book as they head back to the classroom.  Heart-warming!

This school year our time with each class increased from 25- 35 minutes to a full hour!  This gives us time to add an activity.  Sadly, as there is no Art or Music in the curriculum, we have an opportunity to incorporate these into the additional time we have.  Drawing a picture related to the story we just read, doing a simple craft, singing songs, or simply providing paper, crayons and markers to unleash creativity is always a hit. We’re still learning what works best. Some of the students in K and 1st grade like to read to the volunteers which is delightful! 
Each School is Different
Does this differ from a day at Global Leadership Academy West?   Yes, in some ways it does but much is the same. During the 40 minutes we have with each class, we follow the same routine without including an activity:  Welcome – Chat- Read/Discuss – Choose a Book. The scholars (as the students are called here) are generally a very inquisitive bunch.  They are eager to interact during the story which makes for a very engaging session.  We do have a similar challenge:  high demand and low supply for some popular books.  Thanks to WePAC volunteers and local area groups, the situation is improving little by little. We look forward to the day when we have Destiny available to help us manage the inventory and replace our manual check-in/check-out process.  The Cybrary (as the space is also a technology area) has a very inviting layout with comfy chairs and cozy corners where the scholars can read after they check out their book. Ahh, a moment of peace and quiet between classes!

Have you had any special guests?  For the past few years, we’ve been very fortunate to have Andy Meyer, a local author, read one of his books to our McMichael students. A classic question to him from a student was, “So, do you make any money doing this?”

And, we recently had the pleasure of having Debra Johnson, the Children’s Librarian at Charles Durham Public Library (a few blocks from the school) read to one of our 3rd Grade classes.  Over the Holiday Break, I participated in one of the Read by 4th events at Durham and met Debra.  She is absolutely terrific and has a fabulous book collection!  I invited her to come to McMichael and she willingly agreed. She read three books and had the students completely mesmerized.  I look forward to having Debra join us again later in the year.

What 3 words best describe your experiences as a WePAC volunteer? 
Energizing!  Rewarding!  Enjoyable!   Thanks, WePAC, for providing this incredible service to schools and kids in Philadelphia ! I’m thankful to be part of the volunteer team of cape-less heroes!
  Rachel's Tip of the Month, Rachel Robinson, Library and Literacy Program Manager
“What are we, babies?” “This book is stupid!” The idea of performing a storytime for any group of students older than 8 can conjure up fears of responses like these… or worse. I’m going to offer a radical idea in response to your fears: if you like the book, why shouldn’t the students? 
E is for Everyone
Although the E categories in our libraries once stood for “easy” I actually think the current label “everyone” used at some libraries is far more accurate. Not all picture books are easy. Some are downright hard to get through (Love You Forever by Robert Munsch anyone?). They are Everyone books because the combination of pictures and words makes them accessible to all ages.

Think of your E books like family films: yes some will be insulting tripe, but the ones you love are rich in storytelling that you yearn to share with people you care about. Sharing these stories can also spark rewarding discussions that your students want to have  about family, friendship, right, wrong, and responsibility.

Here are some of my favorites:
 
  • Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
  • The Stinky Cheese Man Jon Scieszka
  • Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? by Dr. Seuss
  • The OK Book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
  • How to Read a Story by Kate Messner
  • Red A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hal
School Spotlight, Cook-Wissahickon Elementary School
The following Spotlight was written by Anne Slater, Team Leader of the C-W volunteers. Anne has been a WePAC volunteer for seven years and has been at C-W for the last five years. She is well qualified to manage the challenges of running a library program having spent her professional life as the librarian at Bryn Mawr College.

Cook-Wissahickon Elementary School is on a hill top (part of the ridge that makes Ridge Avenue) in Roxborough.  Aside from the occasional early 18th century stone house, most homes are brick or aluminum-sided row houses with tidy yards, some with flowers and trees, some bare. Many of them ooze children, their mothers walking the littlest ones as our early volunteers arrive.

Each Volunteer Chooses the Book
Andi Mahon needs nearly an hour to get to the first class due to rush hour traffic: this year’s class schedule was changed, so she and JoAnn Churchill and Ron Kanter have to get there at 8:30 to have time to prep for the first class at 8:45 am.  Andi is a former school psychologist so when she occasionally reads to the Autistic Support class she has a smooth rapport. JoAnn’s quietness is a cover-up for her relaxed and easy ability to relate the children.  She and Ron Kanter, a film maker in “real life,” read with emphases that command the children’s attention. The three of them read to a kindergarten class, a first-grade class, and one third grade.

Each volunteer chooses the book to be read aloud. Some are old favorites; some are new discoveries. Sometimes they are tied into the weather, major events in the world, or subjects that the teacher requests, the volunteers help the children choose books. 

Erik Larson, a Presbyterian minister, and Betsy Weitzman cover the middle of the day classes: Autistic Support, and kindergarten.  Each of them is quite adept at maintaining the focus of the Autistic children whose reading levels vary greatly. They learned from one of the student teachers that reading at a table works better than in a circle on the floor.  One of the things that the kindergarten class always enjoys is Mr Erik’s fanciful introductions of Miss Betsy, whose other life includes a large book store and a deep interest in children’s literature.

The afternoon stretches from noon to 3:30pm. Anne Slater, a former college librarian, generally prepares books to be shelved, and supervises the (6th and 7th grade) shelvers. Several of these older students have jumped in to help the youngest readers. Good practice!  Barbara Traister, recently retired professor of English, specializing in Children’s Literature, tutors a child in reading before she comes to the library to read, shelve and check books out.

Liz Meister, a classroom and library aide in the Lower Merion Schools, does all the above plus cataloging and labeling hundreds of books each year. She also runs the over-due notices at the end of the day.

The library is in a huge room, half of which (split lengthwise [sigh]) was a computer class room for the past several years. The layout of the library area - a really long side wall, 2 short end walls, and a double-sided stack at one end, about 36 shelves - means that three volunteers are barely sufficient to help 25-28 children per class sort through the large selection of books while one volunteer works at the check-out desk.

Children... So Alike in Curiosity and Energy
This year, the computers are gone leaving many long tables and chairs, often used for teacher meetings, and handy for children to sit at once they have checked out their books, However, the room itself is so open that the children are easily distracted from sitting at a table, and so cavernous that the noise they make is magnified. 

Aside from the lack of boundaries (we’d love to keep the youngest children where we can see them all the time), our major problem is the conflicts with state-wide tests, concerts, parent-teacher conferences, half-days and holidays. Finding out about class trips and other conflicts with library days is always a challenge.

Problems aside, we enjoy the children, so diverse in ethnicity and demography, and so alike in curiosity and energy. They seem to enjoy coming to the library, and learning how to find the books they enjoy most.  It is normal to see 3 or more groups of children circled around special I Spy books, atlases, or the large folio of photographs of National Parks.

The teachers have been enthusiastic about bringing their classes to the library. The poster-sized thank-you notes signed by the whole class and the personal expressions of appreciation by both children and teachers are frequent reminders of the importance of the WePAC programs.

Meet the Board, Ruth Brader, President
I was a corporate/banking lawyer at Morgan Lewis & Bockius, a large law firm in Philadelphia, for 5 years as one of its first female lawyers. I then moved to what was known as Philadelphia National Bank (PNB).  Over the next 26 years, PNB engaged in several mergers and became Wells Fargo Bank. Having lived through many bank mergers, I did not want to endure another one so I happily retired in 2010.
Time to Give Back

After retirement I felt that it was time for me to give back to the society that had given me so much. I considered what might provide something that Philadelphia needed and that I might enjoy doing.  I had heard about WePAC through my church, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian, so I decided to give WePAC a try.  I started as a Wednesday volunteer in 2010. Under the tutelage of a wonderful former librarian and WePAC volunteer, I learned the basics of operating a library.  

In the spring of 2011, WePAC asked me to lead a library starting in the fall. I was reluctant at first because, after all, I am not a librarian; but after some persuading, I agreed.  I opened the Longstreth library which had been closed for 10 years in the fall of 2011. I have been there ever since and joined the WePAC board in December 2014.

I live in Wynnewood with my husband.  We have two children and one grandchild.  I love travel, reading, cooking, outdoor walking/hiking, friends and family.  
All Children Deserve Libraries
I believe that all children deserve to have access to school libraries because this access can significantly enhance their academic success.  While the work we do is incredibly challenging it is also immensely fulfilling because we are helping Philadelphia students improve their reading skills and learn to love reading.    

Life is very busy but I am happy and gratified to be able to work for an organization such as WePAC.   The students we serve are the future of our country, and they must be given the services they need to achieve their potential.  Our libraries help them do so.
Events and Opportunities, Heather Farber
Make Your Voice Heard
If you, like WePAC, believe that certified school librarians should be reinstated at every school, here’s an opportunity to make your voice heard. WePAC has recently learned that Rep. Mark Longietti (D-part of Mercer County) and Rep. Thomas Murt (R-part of Montgomery County and part of Philadelphia County) plan to introduce a bill in the PA House requiring certified librarians in every public school in the state. See the co-sponsorship memo here .

It is certainly no guarantee that the bill will pass. It could even take several years before there is enough support in the PA House for passage. If you would like your Representative to show support for the bill by signing onto the co-sponsorship memo, please consider contacting him or her today. To get the name and contact information for your state representative, type your full address here . Keep in mind that you may be able to contact two representatives: one for your home address and possibly a different one for your work address.

Following is some language recommended by The Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA). Be sure to include your address in your email or letter so the Representative knows you are part of his or her district.

RE: Please Sign This Co-Sponsorship Memo
 
Dear Rep. [Name],
 
Please sign the co-sponsorship memo, One “Certified Librarian” Per Public School, being circulated by Rep. Longietti and Rep. Murt. Over the past several years, many of our K-12 students have lost valuable learning opportunities due to the lack of school libraries and school librarians. Today prison libraries are required to have certified librarians, but not our public schools. School librarians teach students an information skills curriculum that has been endorsed by PDE and is on the SAS Portal. Librarians teach kids to stay safe on the Internet, to find authoritative information in print and online, and critically evaluate good sources on which to base school and life decisions. We need an educated citizenry which begins in our K-12 schools and with effective school library programs and certified librarians.
  
Please let me know if you will sign this co-sponsorship memo. I plan to stop in your district office or call soon to discuss this further and hopefully garner your support.
  Thank you.
***********************
My name
My address
My email
My phone/cell number
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School librarians teach students how to evaluate information. They help students learn to distinguish trustworthy information from misinformation. WePAC has always said that if schools were able to bring certified librarians back, we would be happy to change our role. If this legislation passes, we will still have a role to play bringing the joy of reading back to schools – just in the context of a stronger student support framework.
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