Our Crowdfunding Groups
We did it! Thank you for your support attending and promoting our event with author Karen S. Chow, listening to the WOW Reads podcast, and donating to ensure the program continues for another year. We appreciate you!
In this last stretch towards our goal, we extend our deepest gratitude to each of you, our co-authors in continuing this program. Thanks to the generosity of 14 donors, we have raised a total of $4827 to support the Reading Ambassadors as they continue to discover, discuss, and delight in the power of literature. We continue the good news today with the announcement of a donor who will match each gift dollar-for-dollar up to $1500! Your gift would be doubled, bringing us closer to our goal!
But this campaign was never just about dollars and cents. It is about the story we write together—a story where middle school and teen readers take the stage, where they meet storytellers from near and far, and where they learn to express themselves with courage, confidence, and creativity. And each of you, through your generosity, helps us turn the page toward that future.
We like to use the time-honored childhood fortunetelling game of M.A.S.H. to review the experiences we had around books each year. For this game, we list all the authors we've met and wonder who will tell our story. We list all the best friends we've met in the books we read and hope one will be ours. We do the same for the settings, our sworn enemies, our mode of transportation, and a resolution. Here's an example:
In this example, we cross off every 6th item as per our swirl of fortune and are left with the elements of your story. S.E. Hinton (The Outsiders) will author our story set on the Santa Monica Beach (Percy Jackson). The reader follows along as we, along with our best friend Peeta Mellark (The Hunger Games) struggle with our sworn enemy, Peter Hayes (Divergent). Astride Pegasus (Percy Jackson), we will defeat the Bureau (Divergent). Epic!
This year, we can add your name as our best friend living out the next chapter wherein we meet storytellers from near and far. Your support means that Reading Ambassadors can continue to meet and engage with authors from all over the world. Through virtual and in-person author events, they can ask questions, share their thoughts, and connect with storytellers whose books have moved them. The world of literature is filled with opportunities for connection. In Worlds of Words with their fellow Reading Ambassadors they can overcome obstacles in their path to sharing their love of reading. One of the most powerful outcomes of our program is watching students grow as public speakers and sharing their ideas as they host author events, lead discussions in their podcast, or presenting their insights to their peers and adults in their schools. We thank you for believing in the power of youth voices.
Through your support, the Reading Ambassadors will build a community of fellow readers who will journey with us through the many chapters of life. Please take a look at the giving levels to the left or choose your own giving adventure to consider how you could help us reach our goal. We are excited to continue this story with you.
This month, we launch our third season of “WOW Reads,” a podcast that centers the voices of middle school and teen readers around literature for young people. The podcast features Reading Ambassadors discussing their experience reading and responding to books, planning and moderating an author event, and the lessons they learned along the way.
This podcast is not just a space for book chat; it’s a platform for Reading Ambassadors to develop career skills and showcase their talents. Through your support, we can continue to offer this unique opportunity for readers to take their reading to the next level, growing as leaders, creators, and communicators in the process.
Regular Episodes and Special Features
Our podcast includes regular episodes that dive into the books we read, offering thoughtful commentary on how these stories resonate with their own lives. In addition to regular episodes, we also produce bonus episodes around partnerships such as Tucson Reads and deep-dive experiences with literature including attending seminars with Regents Professor Kathy Short around outstanding international books and a mock-Caldecott vote. These bonus episodes give the Reading Ambassadors more opportunities to engage with the broader literary world and to share their perspectives with a growing audience.
Catch “WOW Reads” on your favorite podcasting platform, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
What Makes This Podcast Special
This podcast is driven by the program participants. From the topics covered to the questions asked, every episode is planned and presented by Reading Ambassadors, who take the lead in creating a dynamic, thoughtful, and engaging show for their peers and anyone passionate about young adult and middle-grade literature.
But they don’t do it alone! Our podcast is a collaboration between Reading Ambassadors and a support team. This includes Kait Waterhouse, a COE graduate student assistant who plays a key role in mentoring readers in literary analysis along with community volunteer and retired teacher, Katherine Connover. Our sound engineer is a student employee, Liam Arias, who studies Film and Television. We partner with the Digital Innovation and Learning Lab (DIALL) in the College of Education with support from the COE Tech Team. Behind the scenes, another center student employee, Vianey Torres, keeps us organized. Reading Ambassadors have a strong team looking out for their success.
Your Support In Action
You can be part of this support team. By donating to our campaign, you help ensure that we can continue offering these kinds of enriching, skill-building opportunities to our Reading Ambassadors. With gifts of $1000 or more (see giving levels to the right), the Reading Ambassadors will recognize donors "on air."
Through initiatives like the WOW Reads podcast, we’re able to amplify the voices of youth around literature written for them—not only as readers and thinkers but as creators and leaders in their own right. We invite you to tune in to the podcast and hear for yourself the incredible work our Reading Ambassadors are doing. Their passion for literature and learning shines through in every episode, and we know you’ll be as inspired by them as we are.
Thank you for believing in the power of young voices.
Reading Ambassadors participate in literature discussions with books that offer multiple perspectives and equip them to be critical thinkers, empathetic citizens and reading promoters. Those experiences include hosting events with the book authors. Please join these remarkable readers in action at two events this October.
These events are special because they are planned, promoted and moderated by Reading Ambassadors. From selecting refreshments to crafting thoughtful questions, these readers take ownership of the process. They are eager to show their peers—and you—the power of literature.
Middle School Reading Ambassadors Present Karen S. Chow
Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Time: 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Worlds of Words Center, College of Education, Room 453
Karen S. Chow's middle grade debut, Miracle, is the heartfelt story of Amie, a girl navigating the complexities of grief and loss. As we reflected on Amie's experiences, we listened to the Firebird Suite from Fantasia 2000 as a musical piece that is prominently referenced in the book. We also tried a mind reading exercise to determine how possible it is to fully understand our friends and family.
Teen Reading Ambassadors Present Kathleen Glasgow
Date: Sunday, October 27, 2024
Time: Noon – 1:30 p.m.
Location: Worlds of Words Center, College of Education, Room 453
The Teen Reading Ambassadors are beyond excited to welcome back bestselling author Kathleen Glasgow, whose latest young adult novel, The Glass Girl, captivated us with its raw, emotional exploration of teen alcohol addiction. Our discussion took into account the anxiety-inducing forces surrounding contemporary teens and the stories we tell ourselves.
At these events, Reading Ambassadors interview the authors about their writing journeys generally and specifically around the featured books. The events conclude with an audience Q&A followed by a book signing. Campus Stores will be on site to sell copies of the books.
Why Your Support Matters
These events are more than just opportunities to meet authors—they are moments of community engagement, where Reading Ambassadors hone their abilities as organizers, moderators and champions of literature for people their ages. Your support will make a huge impact, allowing the Reading Ambassadors to access a variety of books, participate in thoughtful discussions and develop the skills they need to be leaders—both in their school and other social contexts.
By attending these events, you'll witness first-hand how your contributions can support these middle school and teen readers. You'll see them ask probing questions, foster discussions on critical issues and create spaces for their peers to engage with literature in new and exciting ways.
How You Can Get Involved
Together, we can ensure that the Reading Ambassadors continue to discover the world through literature and help shape it using their voices. We look forward to seeing you at these exciting events!
The average price for a hardcover MG or YA book is $19. Your gift at this level will provide a book to a middle or high school reader or to their school.
Anyone who listened to the 2024 recap episode of the WOW Reads podcast knows Reading Ambassadors are serious about their bagels. Your gift of $55 covers bagels, cream cheese, and hot chocolate for one of our meetings.
Literature discussions are lively events that can include activities designed for multiple modalities of learning. We use high-quality paper, printer paper, butcher paper and newsprint. We use pencils, pens, crayons, markers and paint. Clipboards, lanyards, stickers and other materials come into play. Our laminator can get quite a workout too!
Reading Ambassadors choose their own books, but they need to see the books first to make that determination. To make this possible, we offer a book browse of between 15 and 20 books at a cost of $380. These books will then be incorporated into center holdings or distributed as part of the program.
Although many of the authors who meet the Reading Ambassadors do so as an in-kind act or request that we fold their honorarium back into the program, authors do have travel and per diem costs that we offer to cover. You can cover costs for a local author with a gift of $500.
Reading Ambassadors read four books for this program. Worlds of Words spends $665 on each group for each cycle. Your gift of $1,310 will cover an entire cycle of books for both groups. To show our gratitude for gifts at this level, we will thank you on an episode of the WOW Reads podcast.
The Reading Ambassadors have had virtual visits from authors zooming in from Japan and the U.K. and both U.S. coasts; however, nothing beats an in-person visit. Your gift of $2,000 will allow the Reading Ambassadors to fly a national author to Tucson for a public event. To show our gratitude for gifts at this level, we will thank you on an episode of the WOW Reads podcast and tell an appropriate joke of your choosing.
Each Reading Ambassador receives a free book for their personal library AND a book for their school. We purchase an average of 35 books for each Reading Ambassador group for all four rounds at a cost of $5,240. Your gift at this level would cover all the books for the entire year! To show our gratitude for gifts at this level, we will thank you on an episode of the WOW Reads podcast, tell an appropriate joke of your choosing, and make an announcement or share a message from you.
