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March 9 = World Read Aloud Day!

housands of people of all ages from all 50 United States and at least 40 countries will celebrate the power of words and stories during World Read Aloud Day, presented by LitWorld, the New York-based global literacy nonprofit organization, on Wednesday, March 9. Visit the LitWorld website to join in the festivities and for support in how you can celebrate, thereby taking action for the cause of global literacy.


World Read Aloud Day is an international event that motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words and stories by encouraging them to participate in a global movement to advocate for every child?s right to literacy, safe education, and access to books and technology. In honor of the event, LitWorld is inviting all participants to read with loved ones and new friends from now through March 9 and tally your minutes (sharing those totals with LitWorld) to reach the goal of 774 million minutes in honor of the 774 million people worldwide who cannot read. If you are a teacher or librarian, by reading aloud to one class of children for even ten minutes, you can tally 200 minutes for the cause.

"Literacy is the human rights issue of our time," said Pam Allyn, executive director and founder of LitWorld. "By learning to read, we all have access to information, the power of shared stories of the human experience, and a way to connect with one another. By raising our voices to express the written word, we come together on behalf of all the world's people who long to join the world of readers."

In honor of the day, and in addition to many events worldwide, LitWorld will host a 24-hour Read-Aloud Marathon in New York's Times Square on March 9. Special guest readers at the event will include New York City Chancellor of Schools Cathie Black, Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development Dennis M. Walcott, and many renowned authors and performers. In addition, thousands of diverse individuals in at least 40 countries will be joining in the World Read Aloud Day celebration, hosting events ranging from poetry slams to international video chat readings in schools and community groups around the globe.

LitWorld has spread the word about World Read Aloud Day primarily through social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs, and encourages participants to link their posts to LitWorld?s social media accounts and the LitWorld website.

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