By Daily Press staff
In an effort to promote literacy and the importance of reading, Disney hosted an event featuring Los Angeles Sparks players Tamecka Dixon and Nikki Teasley, who read stories to children at the Boys & Girls Club of Venice on Aug. 18.
Disney Publishing Worldwide, the world’s largest publisher of children’s books and magazines, gave each child a book and donated a library of books to the Boys & Girls Club of Venice. The event culminated in a visit from Minnie Mouse.
DisneyHand, worldwide outreach for the Walt Disney Co., the Los Angeles Sparks and Radio Disney AM 1110, joined forces to put on the event.
DJ Adam from Radio Disney, got the crowd of 300 youth ranging in age from 6 to 18, pumped up with music and prizes before Dixon and Teasley entered the packed gymnasium.
“It was a great day for our kids,” said JR Dzubak, chief professional officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Venice. “Making reading fun is one of the best ways to get young people interested and excited about literacy.”
Boys & Girls Club programs are aimed to help young people find positive alternatives to negative influences, especially during the critical after-school hours from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. when juvenile crime doubles, officials said. The number of young people victimized by violent crime — including murder, sex offenses, robbery and assault — also goes up during after-school hours, officials said.
At least 7 million children are left alone after school each day, according to U.S. Department of Education estimates. Youth who attend after-school programs are not only less likely to commit or be victims of crime, but they also are less likely to use drugs, alcohol or tobacco, or engage in other risky behaviors, and they are more likely to get good grades and graduate from high school, officials said.
The Boys & Girls Club of Venice has served the community for more than 35 years, providing daily programs and services to approximately 4,000 young people. The Boys & Girls Club of Venice offers core programs in character and leadership development; education and career; health and life skills; the arts; sports, fitness and recreation; and special initiatives for youth ages 6-18 in the hours they are not in school. Grant to make history
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 25, 2005. Read the original PDF.