A highlight of the INA Annual Conference is the Saturday night Raffle! INA Raffle Chair (and Regarding Nannies Development Team Member) 
Alice Shaffer, works hard along with her committee to bring in donations that generate the excitement of the INA Raffle. This event has been a part of the annual conference for many years and continues to grow in popularity and proceeds. Each year the INA selects a charity in the host city, preferably that services children, which will receive 50% of the raffle proceeds. This year, the recipient charity is Spread the Word Nevada.
“Spread the Word Nevada is dedicated to advancing early childhood literacy by placing books into the hands and homes of children within Southern Nevada’s at-risk, low income communities. Through community collaboration, mentorship and family partnership programs, Spread the Word Nevada fosters reading and language development opportunities ultimately leading to brighter academic and economic futures for these children. We are dedicated to changing the lives of our at-risk children, one book at a time.”
Public libraries are essential centers of learning, but access to books at the library is not enough. The ownership
of books is a critical factor in every child’s intellectual development. Young children who own books will read
them over and over again, memorizing the stories and learning to follow and identify the words on each page.
Spread the Word Nevada puts books into the homes of youngsters and gives them the opportunity to develop
their own personal library collections for use at home. These books are kept and treasured.
This year, in addition to raffle proceeds, conference attendees will be asked to bring a book that will be passed along to the charity to be distributed to the schools and children they serve.
Literacy is a huge part of a nanny’s daily routine and interaction with the children in their care, as well as parents. This charity gives those children with little to no access to books, a chance to learn and grow and have a greater appreciation for reading, thanks to the generosity of others.
Partial text provided by Spread the Word Nevada.
Article by Kellie Geres, Regarding Nannies Development Team Member