Words Alive

Help Words Alive celebrate International Literacy Day by supporting us through San Diego Gives! Donate today and sign up to volunteer in-person. 

At Words Alive, we understand the life-changing power of reading. Reading helps us to succeed in school and the workplace but reading also changes our lives in ways far beyond this. The purpose of Words Alive is to make reading matter – truly matter – for young people and families in every community in San Diego and beyond, so they have the power to write their own stories. 

Founded in 1999, Words Alive provides access to relevant and quality books, shared reading experiences, and a connection to reading that lays the foundation for continued success. Words Alive proudly serves 5,000 students and families monthly through the support of 800+ volunteers who donate thousands of hours every year. 

Here's a snapshot of our impact today:

• 100 classrooms, virtually and in-person
• 99+ collaborative partners
• 31,269 books and learning kits added to students' homes
• 9 out of 10 teachers agree that Words Alive programming positively benefits students

Volunteers in our Read Aloud Program read weekly in 100+ classrooms and this program has expanded to help not only preschoolers, but also transitional kindergarten through 3rd grade students, to connect with the joy of reading while developing cognitive and verbal skills. Our Adolescent Book Group currently engages 350+ at-risk teens across dozens of classrooms and has expanded to not only include book-club style discussions, but also writing sessions and developmental workshops that build language, reading fluency, and critical thinking skills. 

In our Family Literacy Program, we aim to empower parents as agents of change and advocates for their families by meeting parents where they are and giving them the "ah-ha!" moments that lead to deeper engagement with their children. Parents in the program attend six workshops, receiving approximately ten hours of parent education covering early literacy development topics specific to preschool age children. Grounded in the power of play, each workshop includes a tailored information session and skill-building exercises for parents, a group story time, and guided activities for parents and children. 

Words Alive is committed to providing access to books that reflect the life experiences of the students served. When readers see themselves in positive characters who look and sound like them, it sends a message that they too belong while unlocking a world of role models who can show them what is possible. The diverse and culturally relevant texts we use help children, teens, and parents find deeper, more meaningful connections between the stories and themselves, one another, and the world.

Learn more about Words Alive by visiting our website, WordsAlive.org.