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Frequently Asked Questions What is Greater Grand Rapids Reads? Greater Grand Rapids Reads is a community literacy coalition founded in 2004 whose mission is to “Lead Kent County to literacy for all.” Do you run literacy programs? No. As a coalition, we work with providers of literacy programs, schools, libraries, government, business and interested citizens to build awareness of the importance of a literate community, building the capacity of providers, advocating for literacy programs and building partnerships. Who can join? There is no cost for “membership.” We have over 600 people on our database and about 100 regularly participating in committee work. We appreciate those who do more than receive our newsletters and attend events. How do you communicate with members? We have a monthly electronic newsletter. You can sign up to receive it by going to the contact us page of this web site. What are your main activities? We hold one event each year to bring the community up to date on our progress and build capacity through education. We do a day long community literacy summit with national speakers every other year. The other years, we hold a morning meeting, often featuring a national literacy speaker, to update the community on our progress. Our committees meet regularly. You can sign up for more information on the Contact Us page. Do you have a plan? Yes. We work from a Community Literacy Plan that you can access on the About Greater Grand Rapids Reads page of this web site. Who funds Greater Grand Rapids Reads? Currently Heart of West Michigan United Way is funding a part-time coordinator and limited operational costs for Greater Grand Rapids Reads. Our special activities such as the summit are funded by local funders. Who leads Greater Grand Rapids Reads? Dr. Juan Olivarez, President of Grand Rapids Community College and a member of the National Institute for Literacy Board and Mayor of the City of Grand Rapids, Reverend George Heartwell, are the co-chairs of the Executive Committee. Cheryl Endres, Kent Intermediate School District and JoAnn Dunker, retired curriculum director at Godwin Public Schools, lead the Steering Committee. Fritz Crabb, Director of Literacy Initiatives at Heart
of West Michigan United Way is the staff person.
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