For 15 years, Northwest Connecticut’s Chamber of Commerce has coordinated the Annual Read Aloud Day.  The Read Aloud program, currently sponsored by Howmet Castings, an Alcoa business, is designed to stress the importance of reading to elementary school children throughout the Northwest Corner.

The sponsor of the program provides funding to purchase library quality books that are selected by a group of reading consultants from local schools.  Community volunteers are recruited to spend a part of their morning visiting an elementary classroom in the Northwest Corner.  Each grade level is assigned the same book title.  The volunteers read aloud the books and then leave them as a gift to the classroom library. 

Volunteers in the Read Aloud program can be traced back to the beginning of the program, which was initiated under the sponsorship of SNET (now at&t).  Stories of “Reading Aloud” experiences are heard over and over again.  Reading Aloud has been a tremendously fulfilling experience for so many.

To volunteer to be a reader, please contact Chris Vita, Director of Programs at 860-482-6586 or e-mail chris@nwctchamberofcommerce.org.