Go Hollywood with SitStayRead!

The Wachowskis, American film directors, writers and producers, most famous for creating The Matrix trilogy, are graciously allowing the use of their private screening room for a fundraising (and fun-raising!) event to benefit SitStayRead on Saturday, May 21, 2011.

Join us at the Wachowski's ultra-glamorous Chicago studio, Kinowerks, complete with all the Hollywood touches including the Wachowski's Oscars and MTV Movie Awards, memorabilia from V for Vendetta, The Matrix and more!

Event Details

• Saturday, May 21, 2011
• 7 - 10 p.m.
• $65 single seats; $150 loveseats (seats 2 people)
• Ticket includes a mix and mingle Hollywood happy hour with drinks, appetizers, and a tour of the studio, followed by a private screening of a Wachowski feature film!
• All proceeds benefit SitStayRead programs.
• Call SitStayRead to purchase your tickets 773.545.6629

Never open to the public, this event at Kinowerks is exclusively for SitStayRead friends and volunteers - you won't want to miss it. Hurry! There are only 5 loveseats (each seats two people) and 8 single seats left. What are you waiting for? Call 773.545.6629 to order your tickets to this exclusive event today.

Raise a Glass for SitStayRead!

We're happy to announce that a small quantity of Old Shore Vineyards 2010 "Sofia" Rose of Pinot Noir is now officially available to the public! Click here to purchase.

With subtle aromas of dark cherries, strawberries, and vanilla, this special reserve vintage is exceptional for more than taste; every bottle or case purchased supports SitStayRead. Click on Experience and then, Giving Back, to learn more.

And be sure to read all about the wonderful people at OSV--including the famous Sofia, vineyard dog and latest SitStayRead dog team member (pictured here with her dog team partner, Dannielle!)

Reading Fun at NUSH!

Our newest after-school programs at Northwestern University Settlement House (NUSH) just finished-up and the response from the kids, volunteers, and NUSH partners (thank you Mr. Jesse!) was overwhelmingly positive!

The NUSH e-newsletter included a slideshow of the fun--that's Spinney and Sandy with a young reader. To see a slideshow of more photos, click here.

Many thanks to our friends at Bears Care for bringing SitStayRead and NUSH together to help students read! We look forward to returning in spring for another session.

First Midwest Bank Rocks!

Manierre Student Authors

The final fall dog visit to Manierre School was such fun! Not only did each student receive their very own self-authored book, but Ms. Ernetta Roper from First Midwest Bank was on hand to make the day even more special.

As a member of the First Midwest Charitable Foundation board, Ms. Roper presented SitStayRead with a grant check for $5,000! That goes a long way towards making the program at Manierre possible.

Ms. Roper, daughter of a school teacher herself, spent the entire hour in Ms. Oceguera's classroom listening to student's read her their stories and helping them edit--doing her mother proud!

Many thanks to First Midwest for their commitment to children's literacy! Be sure to click on the photo to see lots more pictures of the kids and dogs at Manierre.

Partners and Volunteers Make BIG Things Happen

Books Books Books Fall 09

It's been crazy busy around the SSR office but in a good, no GREAT, way! In addition to this being the final week of dog visits in five of our school programs--which means laminating and binding a self-authored book for every student--we were the recipients of a fabulous load of brand new books to give our students.

Thanks to our generous partners at Rock For Reading and their partner, Borders, every one of our 360 students gets to choose a book to take home to inspire them to keep reading over the holiday break. In addition, they get to choose a book to give to a younger reader--to share their love of reading. Our teachers are always looking for ways to keep students reading during break so we're thrilled to be able to help.

We rely on our hard-working volunteers to get the student-authored books bound and they came through for us, as always! And, as you can see (click on the photo to see the album), Laverne was there to supervise the job.

After the binding session, it was time to sort and pack the new gift books to get ready to deliver to the classrooms. How lucky were we to have volunteers from the Gap come in to lend a hand? We've never seen such organized workers!

Many thanks to our volunteers and partners for making this a wonderful holiday for all the second- third- and fourth-graders in our programs. Those books will be around for years to come and the kids will remember all you've done to help them "Keep Reading!"

Ms. Garcia Visit

When Ms. Garcia (yes, from Lowell School) came to pick-up materials for a community program she's leading for us (how cool is it that our fabulous program teachers volunteer their time over the summer to help more kids learn to read!?) she brought a wonderful surprise guest--her gorgeous niece, Naima.

Not only is she beautiful though, Naima is one smart girl! She's already learning her numbers (ok, so really only one number so far--everything is "dos") and letters.

I really wanted to get a photo of Naima with Shandy and Comiskey (Ms. Garcia's chihuahua) but she's just too fast for me--this is one of the few photos where you can actually see her face--in the others she's just a blur on the move. You'll have to imagine how sweet it was to see her hugging Shandy and giving her kisses.

Our Very Own Cupcakes!!

The fabulous Bleeding Heart Bakery has honored Sit Stay Read with our very own charity cupcake!!

The generous folks at Bleeding Heart choose a worthy cause each month and donate $1 from the sale of a specially designed cupcake.

You have to go try this carrot cake confection (how did they know that's my favorite?!) Maybe Shandy and I will see you there, but you have to hurry--it's only for the month of July.

Spaaaa Photos

Nearly 50 guests enjoyed being pampered at our third annual Sit Stay Spa benefit on June 23rd. Take a look at the fun we had at the fabulous Spa Soak. Click on the photo for larger view.