YELL NEWSPAPER SALES FOR AGENCIES TO BE SEPT. 10

Karen Green sells YELL newspapers for lots of reasons, but concern for her children's educations is probably the most important.

"Most of us who volunteer are parents," Green said. "We are concerned for our children's education and want to be involved, but we feel guilty because we work. This gets us actively doing something to help the kids."

In about a month, Green and hundreds of other volunteers will stand on street corners and intersections to "hawk" the YELL newspapers to passers-by. Proceeds from the newspaper sales are used to fund grant programs at area agencies. Last year the sales raised more than $35,000.

YELL is an acronym for Youth, Education, Literacy and Learning.

An organizational YELL committee with members from public schools, the Cape Girardeau Public Library and the Area Wide United Way met Wednesday to plan a strategy for Sept. 10, YELL day.

A training session for YELL captains will be held Aug. 20 at 7:30 a.m. at Drury Lodge.

"There are a lot of different people attacking literacy from different angles," said Nancy Jernigan, executive director for the Area Wide United Way.

Frank Ellis is one of the people attacking the problem in Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri. Ellis, an assistant principal at Alma Schrader Elementary School, will chair the YELL committee this year.

"It's not been easy," Ellis said, adding that it is also his first year to work with the YELL program. "Delegation and working with others who have experience has helped me through it."

Ellis wants to help children learn to become good citizens, and the best way to do that is through education and reading. "You have to be literate to make a difference in school; there's no other way than with a proper education," he said.

But reading a newspaper isn't always the most important for children. They like to read comic books, often when the teachers are trying to get them interested in a subject, Ellis said.

Linda Robert, a Reading Recovery teacher for Cape Girardeau schools, was flattered with her invitation to work with the committee.

"It's what my whole program is about," she said. "And there is a fun atmosphere in the town that day."

TO VOLUNTEER

Call Area Wide United Way at 334-9634.