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Stories for students at Plaza

Benefit for school libraries

The Sonoma Valley Education Foundation (SVEF) will present Stories for Students, a reading event to benefit Sonoma’s public elementary school libraries, on Saturday, Feb. 2 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Sonoma Plaza Amphitheater.

Children’s stories will be read aloud by special guests, including pediatrician Dr. Charles DeTorres, firefighter Sam Turner, music teacher Bob Gossett, author/animator Tony Fucile, school district trustee Nicole Abate-Ducorroz along with a yet-to-be-named police officer, and others.

Admission is free for the event and donations will be accepted.

Stories for Students is part of an effort by Parent Teacher Organizations and SVEF to reinstate library hours at the Sonoma public elementary schools, and to support literacy at local public charter schools.

The 25 percent cut to elementary libraries this year has resulted in fewer hours of library time for each K-5 student in the district, while overworked library staff are running to stand still just to keep their library space functional.

“Reading is the most important skill in early childhood learning and we want to do all we can to encourage and promote a love of reading and the presence of books in every child’s home as much as we can,” said SVEF executive director Laura Zimmerman. “The PTOs are taking an important stand to help our libraries and we are grateful for their leadership.”

Sign-up forms are available at each elementary school for folks who would like to be guest readers during the event.

Donations will be accepted during the event or can be made online at www.svgreatschools.com.

Since 1993, The Sonoma Valley Education Foundation has raised more than $5 million for the public schools of Sonoma Valley.

The purpose of the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation is to make sure every student graduates well prepared for college, career and civic responsibility.

SVEF supports local schools by funding programs aimed at raising student achievement and creating a generation of students who love to learn.

More information is available online at svgreatschools.org, or by phoning Zimmerman at 935-9566.