March is... March 18, 2009

9" x 12" original, available in my etsy store

National Reading Month!

Part of the reason that I'm so excited about National Reading Month (aside from my obvious book love) is that I started volunteering with the SMART program here in Oregon a few months ago, and have found it to be a really amazing program.

Here's what SMART is all about:

"VISION: An Oregon where every child can read and is empowered to succeed.

MISSION: We engage community volunteers to read one-on-one with K-3 children who need literacy support.

Participating children also receive new books each month to keep and read with their families."

So, basically..once a week I get to spend an hour reading with two kids (the same two kids, every week). Watching the kids go from being disinterested in reading, to passionate and confident about reading, is beyond satisfying. It's something I look forward to every week in a big way...

For the rest of the month I'm planning on making a bunch of reading themed paintings, and donating 10 percent of my earnings from this series, to SMART. I'll be adding them to my etsy store here and there over the next few weeks.

Happy reading!