Recently, I visited a number of elementary schools with Joanne Church, librarian at Dewitt Middle School, and Adelle Leise, from the Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL).  We met with 5th graders who will be entering middle school in the fall and encouraged them to do some pleasure reading over the summer.  We reminded them that reading helps retain learning ("keeps their brains in condition") so they won’t fall behind in school.  Reading is much more than a skill, it’s a lifestyle!

Village at Ithaca Office Manager Karen Yearwood spoke on WHCU's "All Things Equal" radio program on June 23, 2009. Listen to the podast of her interview here.  On October 21, 2008, Executive Director Cal Walker appeared on the show. You can listen to that podcast here. "All Things Equal" is a weekly program on WHCU Tuesday mornings at 8:30. The show looks at diversity and equity issues involving all religions, races, orientation, and abilities.

The Board of Directors of the Village at Ithaca recently articulated the Village's position on the New Roots Charter School.

A record number of donors helped the Village at Ithaca meet a $10,000 challenge during the months of December and January. An anonymous donor offered a dollar-for-dollar matching grant up to $10,000, and Village supporters met the challenge. Our dynamic Development Committee, aided by our office staff, Board members, and a number of volunteers, completed the Village's first annual appeal, a multi-faceted effort that included a direct mail piece, a personal phone-a-thon, and an online option for donors wishing to contribute via PayPal.

The money raised will offset operating expenses and allow the Village to fund new and existing programming.

We offer our most sincere appreciation to everyone who supported the Village's mission. Your generosity will have an impact in the lives of our local youth in the upcoming year.

A collection of historical papers and reference material documeting nearly two decades of equity research in the ICSD is now available on the Village at Ithaca website.  The collection, complied by the Village at Ithaca Research Committee, includes:

• Research documents exploring race and equity issues, including the Final Report on Race and Education in Ithaca High School, published in 1998 by Dr. James Turner and Dr. Donald Barr.  Some of these documents had previously existed only in hard copy and are being made available in PDF or Word format for the first time.
  
  
• A number of videos, produced in 1995 and 1996, provided to the Village at Ithaca by Eric Acree and the John Henrike Clarke Africana Library, at the Cornell University Africana Studies and Research Center.  Copies are available for loan at the Village at Ithaca Office.
  
  
• Summaries and transcripts of local radio broadcasts of Night Sounds dating back to 1971.
  

Click here to see the Village Equity Research Page