LAKEPORT, Calif. – Literacy has always been a collection of cultural and communicative practices shared among members of particular groups.  

Thanks to the hard work of the Lake County Office of Education Literacy Task Force, more than 665 children and over 335 adults have expanded their involvement with literacy during the past year.  

The Lake County Office of Education Literacy Task force is a committed group of volunteers who meet monthly to support four initiatives designed to increase literacy in Lake County for its’ youngest, all the way to the eldest residents, in an effort of creating a culture wherein all of its members practice literacy.

The four initiatives, adopted by the Lake County Office of Education Literacy Task Force, have all contributed to an increase in literacy for Lake County residents.  

Initiative No. 1 is the Big Read, which is designed to promote the enjoyment of reading literature and the engagement of all readers through community events and book clubs.  

This initiative is co-sponsored by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and will focus on “The Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan.

For more information or to participate in a Big Read activity, contact Shelly Mascari at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  

Initiative No. 2 is Lake County Reads. This initiative partners service clubs with elementary schools to share great literature, and is in place in four elementary schools this year and classrooms at each school.

For more information on this initiative contact Carla Hoff at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  

The third initiative is a pilot program called Schools of Hope. This initiative supported the start of a reading tutor program at Lakeport Elementary school.  

This program pairs volunteers with first grade students to provide personal attention and practice in reading classroom materials. Both the students and the volunteers have benefited from huge smiles from participating in this program.

More volunteers are needed for next year. To learn more, contact Janine Citron at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The fourth initiative of the Lake County Office of Education Literacy Task Force is the Imagination Library.  

This program has made great strides in supporting literacy for Lake County’s youngest residents. It sends one book per month in the mail to children aged 0-5 for only $25 per year.

The latest partnership with the Women’s Civic Club will support the participation of more children in this great program.

For more information on the Imagination Library contact Stephanie Wayment at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The Lake County Office of Education and the Literacy Task Force want to send a huge thank you to all of the agencies and community members who have supported the initiatives and the hard work of ensuring that all of Lake County’s residents practicing literacy through an increase in access to books and activities.  

The Lake County Office of Education and Literacy Task Force will continue their work in the coming year to support all Lake County residents.