Books for the Border: A Family Literacy Collaboration

In a country as rich as America, we sometimes forget the plight of the poor, especially if they are not on the route of our daily travels. The rural poor are one of the easiest groups to forget. Outside the radar of people and services that could help, these communities tend to suffer more accutely.

Because they live outside the bright lights of the big cities. their struggle is one with which many in this country are unfamiliar. The intent of Books for the Border is to heighten awareness for those held in poverty througout our state and to encourage participating churches to establish ongoing relationships to help those with literacy needs.

Books Make a Difference

The presence of books in a child's home makes a significant difference in the development of the child's capactiy to learn. Research indicates that children who are read to at an early age (0-3) develop greater capacity than those who are not. Every child deserves to grow up in a home with books. The problem is that poverty and other factors limit the access of too many children to the fundamental experience of early literacy. The Books for the Border project is a way to help solve this problem through Literacy Connexus, a nonprofit that helps churches througout Texas help people with literacy needs.

In the past few years, Literacy Connexus' Executive Director, Lester Meriwether has been identifying stakeholders and building relationships in Dimmit, Hidalgo, Maverick, Presidio, Starr, Zavala, and Willacy counties to begin family literacy programs. ProLiteracy International defines family literacy as those programs with at least two of the following components: age appropriate education for children, appropriate education for adults, parent and child together activity, and parenting education.

Providing books for families living in poverty is a strategic first step for developing family literacy, while maximizing local resources and empowering community members. Books for the Border is a collaboration of Literacy ConneXus, churches, and community groups who together can make a significant impact on Texas children and families stuck in poverty because of unmet literacy needs. Many of the adults in the identified counties cannot read or write in either Spanish or English.

A Together for Hope Partnership

 Together for Hope (TFH), the rural poverty initiative of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, has a long-term commitment to working with people in the nation's twenty poorest rural counties. Literacy Connexus seeks to implement family literacy programs in the seven TFH identified counties within Texas. As such, Books for the Border (BFTB) will be an important step toward affecting change and breaking the cycle of economic disparity in these counties along the Texas-Mexico border.

Eagle Pass Demonstration Model

In March 2008, Literacy Connexus initiated a demonstration project in Maverick County in the city of Eagle Pass. After several months of preparatory work, Meriwether and ten other volunteers from Western Hills Baptist Church in Fort Worth traveled to Eagle Pass during spring break. They went at the request of Monica Rich, interfaith response coordinator in Eagle Pass, to help host a Family Reading Fair - as well as to participate in a multi-church effort to repair houses that were devastated by a tornado in April, 2007.

The highlight of their Eagle Pass experience was the Family Reading Fair co-sponsored by Literacy Connexus, First Baptist Church, First United Methodist Church, and AVANCE. The Family Reading Fair was a positive "seed planting" initiative to get books into the homes of the families in Maverick County. It demonstrated both the need for and the process of Books for the Border. Representatives from 16 out of 25 eligible AVANCE families participated. Each family received a bookcase that church volunteers had constructed and painted in various colors. To encourage ownership, each child decorate their own bookcase with various stickers, stamps, and paints and then received seven children's books and two Bibles to place in it. Those families unable to attend the Saturday event received shelves and books at a later date.

 Planning Includes Local Involvement

Parents, teachers, and other community organizations play a key role in the success of the project. Church mission groups can promote participation in the distribution of the libraries, and they can encourage recipients to "own" the process, including the chidlren decorating the bookcases. The libraries consist of a modest shelf unit that contains six to ten books approriate for the children in the family and information about local adult literacy programs. The books and shelf units are donated items provided to the families in conjunction with local entities or churches across Texas.