Island Market tags Readiness to Learn for receipt program donations

Last week, Island Market named the Readiness to Learn school program as the recipient of a donation for one percent of Island Market purchases, through the Market’s ongoing receipt collection program.

Readiness to Learn is the name of the program that enlists community social services  when a student has some obstacle that makes it difficult to come to school each day “ready to learn.”

Some of those difficulties that Readiness to Learn (RTL) students and their families face are: lowered household incomes due to unemployment; increased housing costs; family dissension; mental health problems; academic struggles; drug and alcohol abuse; and other social and interpersonal problems.

Through the County Mental Health Tax grant, RTL serves all school-aged children on the island, not just the ones who attend public schools.

The Island Market receipts program involves a year-long collection drive of the receipts from Island Market registers, dated from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 1020. Each quarter, the Readiness to Learn coordinator will run a tape of the receipts collected and send Island Market a statement. The Market will then award 1% of the receipt totals to the Readiness to Learn program.

The Market will award up to $5,000 for the year.

Islanders can contribute to Island Market’s donation by placing receipts in the RTL-Island Market Receipt enveloped that are posted on the community bulletin boards at Templin Center, The Post Office building and outside Island Market, as well as at other island business locations.

“Look for the manila envelopes,” says RTL Coordinator Margie Doyle, who adds that RTL welcomes community concerns if there should be a child in need of financial emotional, social or academic support, contact Readiness to Learn at 376-1566. All information and services are confidential.

“With state funding for our program cut again, and with two grant sources amounting to nearly $8,000 no longer existent, we are extremely appreciative of Island Market’s support in helping educate Island kids,” said Doyle.