Q1: What age group is the focus for this event?
A1: Ages 0 - 18. Parents, guardians, fathers, leaders and teachers are encouraged to assist their kids in activities

Q2: What will there be to do at the event?
A2: Lots of things! We spent extra care to include a diverse amount of activities to gain the interests of all. Features include: Alphabet games, word forming, phonetics, fishing for books, seed library, earth day activity, spoken word, writing lyrics/hip-hop, read to a senior, Polynesian books, Dr Seuss books, parenting books, comic books, reading contests, EReader contest and competitions, Bookmobile mobile public library, resource tables, balloon figures, face painting, Captain Jack Spareribs, puppet show, food vendors, free raffles and giveaways!

Q3: What kind of giveaways will there be for the raffle?
A3: Entertainment passes, toys, gift cards, mp3 players, Great America passes, EReaders, and a computer!!!

Q4: What is the purpose of this event?
A4: To combat illiteracy, alliteracy and lower reading levels among the youth in East Palo Alto and its surrounding communities by exposing attendees to different types of books, resources and aspects of reading for entertainment, education, and empowerment.

Q5: Why is the purpose of this event so important?
A5: According to the US Department of Education, children who have not developed some basic literacy skills by the time they enter school are 3 to 4 times more likely to drop out in later years. 60% of American’s prison inmates are illiterate and 85% of all juvenile offenders have reading problems. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 50% of the nations unemployed youth age 16-21 are functional illiterate, with virtually no prospects of obtaining good jobs. According to the Washington Literacy Council, more than 3 out of 4 of those on welfare, 85% of unwed mothers, and 68% of those arrested are illiterate. About 3 in 5 of American prison inmates are illiterate. This event was created to bring awareness to the importance of reading and how reading can improve a person’s quality of life. We care about the local community and believe this can impact the community in East Palo Alto in a positive way. Did you know that according to the school district, less than 1/3 of students in East Palo Alto read at their grade level? Did you know that California prison officials plan the construction of new facilities by analyzing third-grade reading levels?

Q6: How did this event come about?
A6: A Stanford alum that grew up in the bay area was thinking about a project to do for the Stanford Alumni Day of Service (http://giving.stanford.edu/get/page/volunteering/beyondthefarm/) that focused on reading to children as she believed reading as a young child positively influenced her in a way that changed her life. After discussing her intensions with some organizations in East Palo Alto, the idea for this event was formed.

Q7: What is the Stanford Alumni Day of Service?
A7: It is a day where Stanford University alumni come together on one day to provide hands-on service to their communities. Projects are all alumni-led and reflect the diversity of alumni interests and passions. For more info see: http://giving.stanford.edu/get/page/volunteering/beyondthefarm/

Q8: Why is the event being held in East Palo Alto?
A8: Stanford as well as many organizations in the area have great interests in uplifting the community of East Palo Alto that has for many years been given a bad name.

Q9: What is the fee for this event?
A9: This is a FREE event for everyone

Q10: Can I bring my family to the event?
A10: Of course! This event is open to any and all family and friends. You do not need to reside in East Palo Alto to come to this event.

Q11: How can I find out more about the partner organizations?
Q11: Here are the partner websites: * Live the Dream (http://www.livethedreamfoundation.com/home.html) *Youth EPA (http://www.oneepa.org/node/116) *10 Books A Home (http://10booksahome.org/) *Public Library (http://www.smcl.org/)

Q12: Is this an annual event?
A12: This will be the first annual “Reading Rainbow in the Park”. It is with high hopes that this event on May 14th, 2011 is a success. The intention is for this event to be held at least annually.