— Grant reboots Children’s Literacy Center program in Monument —
March 12, 2018, Falcon, CO – Pennies add up to great things at Mountain View Electric Association, Inc. (MVEA). Through the generosity of members, MVEA is able to give back to the community each year through a program called Operation Round Up. MVEA members who participate in the program, round up their bill to the nearest dollar; on average, MVEA members donate 50 cents a month or $6 a year. One organization benefiting from MVEA members’ philanthropy is Children’s Literacy Center (CLC).
CLC previously offered programming in the Tri-Lakes Area, but due to lack of funds, the program was placed on hold until appropriate funding was secured. Thanks to a $5,000 grant from MVEA’s Operation Round Up and additional support from Federal Express, the program has been resurrected at the Pikes Peak Library District Monument Branch.
“Collaborations and partnerships are what contributes to CLC success,” Children’s Literacy Center Executive Director, Gina Solazzi, said. “CLC has been providing free literacy programs in Colorado for the past 25 years, and we could not be as successful as we are without the support and commitment of businesses within the region.”
During the Fall Semester (September throug December 2017), the Monument CLC program had nine students receiving one-to-one tutoring. One fourth grader, reading at a third grade level when he started, increased his reading skills by three levels and is reading at a sixth grade level. CLC’s spring session is scheduled from February to May 2018. Currently, eight students are expected to return to the CLC Monument program and six are currently on a wait list. CLC boasts a 95 percent success rate with their literacy program. For more information about CLC, visit the Children's Literacy Center website.
MVEA’s Operation Round Up was formed to assist nonprofit organizations, and communities with special needs, who provide services to MVEA’s members, as well as MVEA members who have suffered from loss, personal disaster, or medical emergencies. In total, the assistance program has distributed over $2.2 million back into the community since 2000. The program is administered by a volunteer Round Up Board of Directors, which is an independent board of community leaders who grant funds according the program’s policies. For more information on MVEA’s Operation Round Up program, or to fill out an organization or individual grant application, please visit our Operation Roundup page.