Gift of Literacy in South Lake Tahoe is a program that encourages a love of reading among young children. The program is designed to increase student literacy rates and infuse books into the South Lake Tahoe community.

Through rich community partnerships and generous donors, we would like every first-grader in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District to participate in this enriching literacy program.

Gift of Literacy aims to encourage students to enjoy and be excited about reading and learning by:

• Exposing them to a variety of books: Each student reads eight carefully selected titles throughout the year.
• Empowering them with a choice: Each student chooses their favorite title and receives a hardbound copy of the book at the celebration.
• Reinforcing the importance and enjoyment of reading: Students are split into small groups and read to by community members, sometimes even authors, at the celebration.
• Introducing them to a college campus: The event is held at Lake Tahoe Community College, where the students get a glimpse of college life.

This year's Gift of Literacy will be held on Friday, May 31, 2024. First graders from South Lake Tahoe will came to LTCC's campus to receive a free book and book bag, meet the LTCC Coyote and LTCC President Jeff DeFranco, and guest author Nicholis Solis! 

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2024 Guest Author 

Nicholas Solis has been writing all of his life, starting with knock off Encyclopedia Brown mysteries and oddly deep poetry for an 8-year-old. Since then, he’s continued to write picture books, travel blogs, teaching blogs, middle grade novels, and poetry about farts (decidedly less deep). In 2018, he was the recipient of the Walter Dean Myers Grant from We Need Diverse Books, and in 2020 he was nominated for the 2020 Austin SCBWI Cynthia Leitich Smith Writing Mentor Award and was the winner of the AustinSCBWI’s 2020 Creators of Diverse Worlds Scholarship. 

His debut author/illustrated book THE STARING CONTEST (Peter Pauper Press) released September 23rd, 2020. MY TOWN, MI PUEBLO (Nancy Paulsen Books) and THE COLOR COLLECTOR (Sleeping Bear Press) are scheduled for 2021.

Nick is also an award winning elementary teacher with a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration from Concordia University. He has traveled the world and taught students in Tanzania, India, and Morocco. From all of his travels he has learned one important lesson: No matter the circumstances, kids are kids. When he’s not traveling, he enjoys spending time with his wife, their dog, and his brand new baby boy in Austin, Texas. 

He is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and of 12X12. He is also a writing fellow at The Writing Barn.

He also came in second on Hollywood Game Night. Seeing as how there are only two contestants, you could also say he came in last. 

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Volunteers Needed

Do you have a passion for reading? Are you looking for a way to make a positive impact in our community? Join our team of dedicated volunteers and help us make Gift of Literacy a success! We're looking for enthusiastic individuals to help with event set up, campus tours, distributing snacks and more. Whether you have a few hours to spare or can commit to a full day, we have volunteer opportunities that fit your schedule. Meet new people, gain valuable experience, and make a positive impact in your community! If you're interested in volunteering, please fill out our online volunteer form or contact Ashley Middlebrook at middlebrook@ltcc.edu or (530) 541-4660 x754 for more information. We can't wait to hear from you!

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Thank You to Our Sponsors

Books donated in honor and memory of retired teacher John Nemes.

           

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