FOUNDATION WILL ENABLE YELL TO DO MORE

The Youth Education Literacy and Learning campaign wants to do more to promote literacy.

That's why the YELL Foundation has been formed, so that the $30,000 distributed to literacy programs each year can be increased.

The YELL campaign previously was under the auspices of the Area Wide United Way. Businesses and corporations that made YELL donations could write them off as business expenses but not as charitable contributions.

Establishing the YELL Foundation will enable these contributions to be written off as charitable donations. The foundation is seeking designation as a 501(C)(3) tax-exempt organization formed for public benefit.

Street sales of the YELL newspaper have been flat the past two or three years but requests for grants from the service areas of Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City have continued to increase.

"We're wanting to expand the level of contributions from businesses, charitable trusts, foundations and other organizations," says Kim McDowell, YELL campaign coordinator for the Southeast Missourian.

The foundation also enables YELL to do fund raisers the campaign previously could not. A corporate spelling bee is one possibility, McDowell said.

Forty-three percent of people with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty, and 70 percent has no job or part-time job.

"We know there's a need for this type of support and we know state funds don't cover everything and school budgets don't cover everything," McDowell said.

Most of the grants go to teachers and educators, libraries and community groups involved in reading development.

Previously, the YELL Committee evaluated the literacy needs in the community before dispensing the funds. That committee has been replaced by a board.

The YELL Foundation board includes United Way executive director Nancy Jernigan, Dennis Marchi of Schnucks and Southeast Missourian management team members Wally Lage, Joe Sullivan, Mark Kneer, McDowell and Pat Zellmer.

McDowell said this is an organizing board that will be augmented with other members.

She said the board welcomes input from the community about literacy projects that need funding.