Yukon Literacy Coalition &

Whitehorse Rendezvous Rotary Club  

Celebration of Family Literacy Day

&

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – Whitehorse Launch

January 27^th, 2009

The Yukon Literacy Coalition and Whitehorse Rendezvous Rotary Club are excited to announce the celebration of Family Literacy Day at the Canada Games Centre starting at 11:00 a.m. on January 27^th, 2009. During this event, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for Whitehorse children will be launched. Lana Rae will be singing and Brian Fidler will read “The Little Engine That Could”. Guest speakers include Dolly Parton’s Representative, David Dotson, from the Dollywood Foundation in Tennessee and our very own Patrick Rouble, Minister of Education for the Yukon Government.

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is an innovative literacy program in which every month until the age of five, each registered child receives a free book in the mail. These books are carefully selected by a group of experts in education, child development and early childhood literacy. All Whitehorse children (0 to 12 months old at the time of the registration) residing in the Yukon are invited to register. The program is free and children registered during the Whitehorse Family Literacy Day event will receive a free children’s book to kick off their reading journey!

With the expansion to Whitehorse, the Yukon will be the first Canadian jurisdiction to offer the Imagination Library to all children thanks to partners including the Whitehorse Rendezvous Rotary Club, Invest in Kids and the Yukon Government Community Development Fund. 

Family Literacy Day activities will also include story reading in French and English, face painting, fishing well, tattoos, crafts and a magic show. Activities are provided by Yukon Literacy Coalition, Association Franco-Yukonnaise (AFY) and Service d’Orientation et de Formation des Adultes (SOFA), Whitehorse Public Library, the Child Development Centre (CDC), Partners for Children (PFC), and the Learning Disabilities Association of the Yukon (LDAY).

Schedule of Events

11:00 a.m.  Official Launch with Guest Speakers

11:30 a.m.  Cake cutting, family literacy activities & refreshments

12:00 p.m.  Family Literacy Day Concert with Lana Rae

Guinness World Record™ Attempt

Yukoners join other Canadians in a Family Literacy Day (FLD) World Record Attempt to break the Guinness World Record™ for Most Children Reading with an Adult – Multiple Locations.

Linked to Family Literacy Day, the World Record Attempt must be completed between:

11:00 a.m. January 23^rd & 11:00 a.m. January 24^th, 2009

 The Yukon Literacy Coalition is holding its own FLD World Record Attempt event:

 Where: Whitehorse Public Library

When: Friday, January 23, 2009

English readings at 11:00 a.m., 12:00, 1:00 & 2:00 p.m.

French reading at 4:00 p.m. 

Children and adults are encouraged to come for a reading. Local celebrities and dignitaries will be on hand. For more information contact the Yukon Literacy Coalition at 668-6535 or yukon.literacy.coalition@northwestel.net.

The guidelines and event planning package are available online at: http://www.abc-canada.org/fldworldrecord.

The Yukon Literacy Coalition will be launching Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Whitehorse on January 27, 2009 - on National Family Literacy Day.  Stay tuned for more details.

66 Rural Yukon Children are registered in

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

How many children are registered in each rural Yukon community?

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is designed to give children and their families a chance to build a library of their own. The child’s family will receive an age appropriate book every month for the first five years of that child’s life. Registration started on October 19, 2007.

Eligible participants criteria:

- Children born after December 31^st 2006

- Reside in an area with the postal code YOB and YOA (Marsh Lake is in the YOB postal code)

More information contact Yukon Literacy Coalition - 668-6535 or contact the community partners:    

• Old Crow: Loretta Itsi  (litsi@vgfn.net)            
• Beaver Creek: Rosemarie VanderMeer- Broeren (rosemariebroeren@yahoo.ca)     
• Dawson City: Miriam Havemann (dclib@klondiker.com)
• Pelly Crossing: Mary McGinty (mcgintym@selkirkfn.com)
• Faro: Diana Rogerson (flib@klondiker.com)
• Haines Junction: Angie Charlebois (angie@northwestel.net)
• Mayo: Karen VanBibber (mlib@klondiker.com)
• Watson Lake: Ursula Fedorak (wllib@klondiker.com)
• Carmacks: Gisela Larkin (cmlib@klondiker.com))
• Teslin: Patty Wiseman (patty@ttc-teslin.com)
• Teslin: Kelly Beaulieu ( tslib@klondiker.com)
• Burwash Landing:  Alyce Johnson (alyce_dukeriver@yahoo.ca)
• Ross River:  Bernadette Fulton (pasinag15@hotmail.com)    
• Tagish:  Emanuelle Burelli (eburelli@sofayukon.com)            

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a unique opportunity to do something simple and powerful for community literacy. Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More!