Words Alive

Words Alive is excited to recognize Lilliana Gutierrez and Diana Alvarez as our March Volunteers of the Month! These Community Inclusion Professionals with The Arc of San Diego have brought a great deal of joy, helping hands, and support to our Where the Wild Books Are service events! Check out our latest blog post to learn more about their volunteer experience and reading interests. Visit: wordsalive.org/blog

Words Alive is excited to be part of KPBS Be My Neighbor Day on April 18, 2026, and we’re looking for volunteers to help staff our table, share books, and connect with young readers. This free, family-friendly event celebrates what it means to be a community helper, just like Daniel Tiger! Join the team representing Words Alive and our impact in the community. Contact Soroya Rowles at soroya@wordsalive.org to sign up.

Families at Orangethorpe Elementary wrapped up their Let’s Read workshop series with a special visit from children’s author, Marcie Colleen, who brought "Penguinaut!" to life. Students built and launched their own “rockets” and even formed a living solar system with their learning kits. Across our Family Literacy Program, families are building confidence, connection, and lasting habits of reading together.

Have you ever wondered what happens to the mountains of books that arrive at the Words Alive office? Our Where the Wild Books Are volunteer events help transform stacks of books and learning materials into ready-to-use program kits! Come on down to our office on March 26 or March 31 and help play a role in bringing our programs to life. Learn more and sign up at: https://lnkd.in/gnxTNy73

Today, we want to share a delightful quote from Charity Terry-Lorenzo, one of our Read Aloud Program volunteers, about the cleverness of today’s bright young minds: "When I told the UTK class that we would be reading Giraffes Can't Dance, one of the students explained that if you see a video of an animal dancing, it's probably AI."

Did you know you can support literacy by shopping online? We're proud to partner with vendors, like PayPal and eBay for Charity, who make it easy to support our cause! Simply select Words Alive as your favorite charity when using these services and you'll get the option to donate at checkout! Learn more about all the ways you can shop to support us at: https://lnkd.in/gi-PJCDZ

Our Family Literacy Program is growing, and so is its impact! 📚 We're currently serving 325 families across 40+ partner sites, reaching communities from the South Bay all the way to Pauma Valley! That's 325 households building stronger literacy foundations and brighter futures together. ✨ This work simply wouldn't be possible without our dedicated volunteers and incredible community members who show up, give generously, and believe in the power of reading. Thank you!

📚  Read Across America Week: March 2–6 📚  It’s Read Across America Week, and there’s no better time to celebrate the power of early reading! Reading with young children builds strong brains, sparks imagination and sets the foundation for lifelong learning. Just a few minutes of reading each day can make a big difference—so grab a book, snuggle up and turn the page toward a brighter future. #ReadAcrossAmerica #FamilyReading #BooksMatter #ReadEveryDay #SDEarlyCarePartners

Our Adolescent Book Group Program is underway at Monarch Academy! We're excited to see a new wave of students and provide a space for them to read diverse and relevant texts that teen scholars can see themselves in and connect with the world around them!

Words on Wheels is back in action, bringing totes full of Spring Read Aloud Program Giveaway books and learning kits for this next wave in our program cycle! We are so grateful to our Words on Wheels volunteers and excited for all we will read and learn together with students across San Diego.