APPLICATION PROCESS IS SIMPLE

Applying for a YELL literacy grant is as simple as ABC.

This year's application deadline is Sept. 15. Anyone interested in picking up a grant application should call Nancy Jernigan at the Areawide United Way: 334-9634.

"We recommend that people do that pretty soon because grants are due back to us soon," said YELL board member Julia Jorgensen, who also serves on the YELL Foundation's allocations committee.

"We hope to be able to award grants by first week of October so the teachers can utilize the money for their classrooms as quickly as possible."

Application evaluators will be paying special attention to grants for projects that include parental involvement or a writing component, Jorgensen said.

"We are looking for grants this year that have a parental involvement because we recognize that literacy starts at home, so we are hoping to include the parents in the program," Jorgensen said.

"We also are looking for a writing component. We want our students to know that reading and writing go hand in hand."

The grant application forms ask for a variety of information, including a description of the school or organization, its students or patrons and their needs, an account of the project and its innovativeness and a timeline and budget for the project.

Last year, YELL received about 40 applications and distributed grants totaling $35,299 to schools and organizations. Jorgensen said that about $27,000 of that was for the Newspapers in Education program.

"We have schools that are in our area that want the newspaper in their classrooms, so that is a big part of the program," Jorgensen said.