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Happenings

Read to L.E.A.D. All-Day Event Makes an Impression

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On Monday, November 12, the Women's Center's Read to L.E.A.D. project brought a busload of its regular youth and social justice literacy program participants -- young girls and boys of elementary school age -- to campus for a 4-hour tour of NC State departments, including the Colleges of Education, Engineering, and Design, and additional stops at D.H. Hill Library, Syme dormitory, and the dining hall. The students got a true taste of college life while also doing fun activities such as making crafts, solving problems, and listening to professors talk about college.

Read to L.E.A.D. participant in wolf mask In its second year on campus, Read to L.E.A.D. has combined regular weekly campus visits from the Raleigh Boys and Girls Club with the reading of diversity-themed and educational children's books and a hot lunch. This was its first nearly full-day experience and its impact will be felt years in the future, when we anticipate that many of these impressionable young people will walk this campus again as students. To get involved, please see the Women's Center website.

Interested in giving back? Like browsing in bookstores? Please consider donating new or gently used children's books to our Read to L.E.A.D. library. Much of children's literature is not reflective of the diversity in our world. Read to L.E.A.D. seeks to provide inclusive images and texts for its Kindergarten-5th grade readers. Feel free to donate a copy of your favorite book or if you'd like specific ideas, the NC State library Community Service Team has developed this reading list.

The Chocolate Festival from the Perspective of an Attendee

The Women's Center's annual Chocolate Festival has not been overstated, I tell you! I arrived with my ticket soon after the doors had opened at 4:00 pm on Friday, November 9th, to find a shockingly long line coming from the Talley Ballrom, down the stairs, and outside onto the steps. "Oh no, had I arrived too late to get any chocolate?" I remorsefully thought to myself. For once, the overeager types were right. The early birds get the chocolate!

Chocolate Festival 2012 staff

Fortunately, as Lois Crowe from the Women's Center had assured me beforehand, there was plenty to go around. My ticket served as a punch card for six treats: three larger ones from tables with pink tablecloths, and three smaller but still generous samples from tables with white tablecloths. A large circular center area served drinks, including both white and chocolate milk. Heaven!

Although it only took me about 30 minutes to decide on all my samples, I left feeling happy. For not only had I participated in one of NC State's most popular traditions and scored some gourmet chocolate, but I had received some information and learned more about breast cancer while contributing to the important causes of breast cancer education, the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund, and the NC State Women's Center. I hope to see you there next year!