The 2007 Fall Provisional Class of the Junior League of Central Westchester (“JLCW”) will sponsor a “Reading Fun Day” at the Eastchester Community Action Program at 142-144  Main Street in Tuckahoe on February 1, 2008.

ECAP is an after-school program which serves underprivileged children in the Eastchester, Tuckahoe and Bronxville communities.  The JLCW supports several ECAP initiatives: to expand the ECAP library and to encourage the children in extracurricular reading and the Be Exceptional And Read (B.E.A.R.) program for the children in grades 4-9.  With the support of Gheraldine Gunther-Crumpton, Youth Director of ECAP’s after school program, the children at ECAP are attempting to read 1000 books by the end of the school year.

The Reading Fun Day will feature a read-aloud program for the children, literacy-related activity centers, and booklists and reading habit guidelines for parents.  In addition, the JLCW will oversee the expansion of the ECAP library, fielding donations as well as supplying books for the B.E.A.R. book club.  At the end of the day, the children will leave with a goody bag with items chosen to spark the love of reading and help them as they begin a lifetime of literacy.

The JLCW will also stock a “reward” supply, to encourage the children as they attempt to reach their reading goals.  The committee will provide ECAP with a supply of school supplies so children have access to the tools that will help them succeed in school and beyond.

Heidi Anderson, the President of the JLCW states; “Literacy is often referred to as the change agent that inspires families and communities to raise the achievement bar. Over the past sixty years, the Junior League of Central Westchester has firmly believed in this change agent and has given its support to a variety of literacy based projects. We are proud to continue our legacy in the promotion of literacy through The Reading Fun Day project, which aspires to bring the love of reading to the youth served by the Eastchester Community Action Program.”

The JLCW and ECAP welcome press coverage of this event, by appointment please, as space is limited.  For more information on the event, please contact the cochairs, Robin Leader at rzisson@gmail.com and/or Lauren Magel at laurenmagel@yahoo.com. 

The Junior League of Central Westchester (JLCW) is an organization of women from Scarsdale, White Plains, Greenburgh and Eastchester committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. The JLCW reaches out to women of all races, religions, and national origins who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to volunteerism. No woman shall be excluded from membership because of her race, religion, national origin, or disability