YELL PROVIDES MORE THAN NEWSPAPERS

Last year R.J. Schultz Middle School used a $400 YELL literacy grant to buy books used in its reading fair.

Each year organizations may apply for literacy grants funded by YELL money. Any organization (school, club, library, etc.) may apply. The guideline is simple. Any money awarded will be used to help increase literacy.

Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City participate in the YELL campaign. The money earned in each city stays in that city to benefit its residents.

Half of YELL proceeds are used to fund the Newspapers in Education program. The remainder is up for grabs.

Most schools that apply for grants use the money to fund early childhood reading programs such as Jefferson's Sunshine Kindergarten Kit and the Reading Recovery program.

St. Mary used last year's grant to purchase books for its K-3 Accelerated Reader program. Washington spent $200 on books and equipment for its Reading Renaissance Accelerated Reader program serving fourth-graders through sixth-graders.

Grants are not limited to elementary schools or early readers. Thanks to an $800 grant, Educare was able to purchase books for families in the Read from the Start literacy program. Adult Basic Education Literacy also received $800, which it used for supplemental reading materials for adults.

The Otahki Girl Scout Council used its grant to help girls participate in the council's basketball interest group. Sports magazines and books on fitness and nutrition were purchased. Millie Turner, membership director for the council, said the grant enabled the council to use literacy as a part of the extension of sports to the whole girl, not just the athlete.

The Alternative Education Center in Cape Girardeau, which is grant-funded, was able to purchase dictionaries for students in the program. The literacy grant allowed the center to supply the students with "extras" that don't always fit into its budget.

Riverside Regional Library in Jackson used its grant to reach farther out into the surrounding communities. A series of My First Reader books were purchased. These were boxed in attractive sets, and each set was supplied with a survey for reader reaction.

Questions centered on vocabulary -- where new and familiar words were encountered, how many times were certain books read and what types of additional materials did the readers want.

The library has received 61 responses so far, but Riverside Regional has five branches in outlying areas. The books are making their way through the branches, and responses are still coming in.

The library plans to apply for a grant again this year. High on its wish list will be kits with beginning reading material and perhaps books with cassettes so readers may follow along.

Cape Public Library relies on its YELL grant to fund the summer reading programs. More than 1,200 youngsters participated in the program last year. Not only do the children have access to a larger variety of reading material, they are also able to "earn" books for their own personal libraries.