Mar Vista Literacy Fair Challenges Imaginations, One Child At A Time

More than 500 parents and their children turned out Saturday for the Mar Vista Family Center’s 7th Literacy Fair.

The free event was titled, “Tell me a Story” and when they arrived at 10 a.m., the children sat right down in the facilities courtyard to listen to story readings from young television celebrities such as Nick and Dan Benson from Disney Channel and Nickelodeon and other volunteers.

“At the far end of town where the grickle-grass grows and the wind smells slow-and-sour when it blows,” 17-year-old actor Nick Benson read from the Dr Suess’ book, “The Lorax.”  Approximately 25 children, ages ranging from 6 months to 11 years sat on carpet swatches and curly snake pillows hugging their mothers and dads, listening intently.  The book chronicles the plight of the environment and was voted a favorite Friday on the center's Facebook page. It was one of many favorites read aloud to the children by members of the community during the fair.

The center's goal, according to their Web site, is “to engage parents as partners in the education of their children.” Lucia Diaz, the new chief executive officer of the center, used the occasion to open the newly refurbished library upstairs in the center's main building. Its shelves were stocked with a wonderful variety of children’s books, in both Spanish and English.

Migdalia Aguirre brought her 6-year-old daughter Dahlia to the Fair. She reads to her every night.

“I do see the difference with her,” she said. “She is more open minded, she wants to learn more, she asks questions, even at a young age she is paying attention and she knows what the story is about.”

Aguirre is raising her three children by herself and says she definitely sees the benefit of such programs for her family and in her community.

Sponsored by the Del Rey Neighborhood Council in conjunction with Sony Pictures and City National Bank, the event was staffed by volunteers from the Mar Vista community. They were cooking lunch, handing out book bags, painting faces and reading to the children. Many are alumni of the center’s programs for youth including “Early Childhood Education” and “By Youth For Youth,” whose goal is to offer alternatives to the gangs and poverty that have crippled the Mar Vista community for years.

Field Weber from the Playa Vista Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library gave out free books; “Books and Cookies,” a company in Santa Monica, let the children decorate their own cookies, and the EcoStation of Culver City brought a Common Green Iguana, a Russian Tortoise and a Mali Spiney Tailed Lizard (who was really happy the weather was hot) for the kids to see. Members of theLoyola Creare Service Organization also helped with the story telling.

Lunch was hotdogs, chips, apples and juice, donated by Whole Foods of West Los Angeles and the Mar Vista Family Center's staff and volunteers handed out book bags to 100 of the guests when the event was over.

Diaz said that because of the state of the U.S. economy, the organization is now 100 percent privately funded and it takes $1.4 million to run the Mar Vista Family Center’s programs.

“We are in desperate need of donations to make it to the end of the year. We especially need funding for our Summer Day Camp Program that benefits about 150 children and creates jobs for the community," Diaz said.