Guest Post: All About The Carnegie Center

By Laura Whitaker

Dear Readers:
I'm so excited to turn the reins over to my amazing friend, Laura Whitaker, for the day. Laura is Program Director at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning in Lexington, Kentucky, an organization which "empowers people to explore and and express their voices through imaginative learning and the literary arts." 

Laura has written more about the incredible work that the Carnegie Center does below. Reading and writing are two of my favorite activities, so I'm so proud to support this wonderful organization today through the GoodGiving Challenge, and I hope that you will too!

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I’m guessing you’re a reader. Obviously you read blogs, but I bet you also read books (an assumption I’m making based on the fact that you’re here on this blog for bibliophiles!) I, too, am a reader. I love all the magical – and not-so-magical – elements that books comprise: knowledge, empathy, understanding, imagination, escape. I could go on, but I’ll stop there for now. So we’ve established a shared love of reading (which is enough for me to consider you an amazing person and close friend!) Now, what about writing?
 
In my work, I’m asked at least once a week if I’m a writer, since I work at a literacy and literary arts center. I usually sheepishly say, “No,” then I quickly add, “but I love to read!” For some reason, I feel bad because I appreciate the work of writers so much that I feel I should do it, but I don’t actually want to. Instead, I just love reading. And fortunately, my literary colleagues remind me that I shouldn’t feel guilty about this. Writers need readers. And readers need writers. One’s not better or more important than the other. Together, they create a mutually beneficial cycle that keeps us bibliophiles and word-lovers satisfied.  

What if I told you there was one place that supports {almost} all components of this cycle, from learning to read to publishing bestsellers? And that this place wasn’t an imaginary place in a book, but that it actually exists in the real world? Well, it does exist. And it’s where I work.

At the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning in Lexington, KY, with the help of volunteers, teachers, parents and donors, we create a Cycle of Literacy.
 
This cycle starts at the dawn of a child’s learning life. For babies and toddlers, the Carnegie Center hosts story times, gives away free books, and teaches parents strategies to read at home with their little ones. For kids and teens, we have reading groups and other academic support programs, as well as creative writing enrichment programs. The Cycle of Literacy gets strength from our afterschool tutoring program. To help children who fall behind in school, the Carnegie Center offers low-cost tutoring for almost 250 kids per week. The Cycle of Literacy continues among adults. Carnegie helps immigrants learn English, and English-speakers learn Spanish and French. We help adults who want to enhance their writing skills. We teach advanced writers how to get their books published and host their book releases in our space. And then the Cycle of Literacy comes full circle: Many of those published writers share their love of reading and writing with young children and emerging writers who are at a different stage in the cycle. Oh, and all along, we give away over 10,000 new and used books a year to readers of all ages through our in-house and outdoor reading rooms.
 
So whether you’re a reader or a writer – or both – you have a home at the Carnegie Center. Join us for our weekly Young Learners Story Time, our annual Books-in-Progress Conference, or any of our other classes and events. And our work wouldn’t be possible without the support of community volunteers and a diverse group of donors, so if this marriage of literacy and the literary arts speaks to you, consider getting involved in those ways, too. Through December 31, we are taking part in a local fundraising challenge, and we’d so appreciate your donations via the GoodGiving Challenge. Remember: readers need writers, and writers need readers, so let’s do our part to support them all by bringing them together under the same roof. 


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Are you interested in writing a guest post (on any topic related to literacy or pop culture) for The Naptime Writer? Contact me on my website!

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