The results for the Needle and Thread: Stitching for Literacy 2008 Bookmark Challenge are in.

Last year we collected and donated 429 hand-stitched bookmarks.

This year, we collected…quiet drum roll…followed by a tense, concerned look from our gorgeous host with strategically tousled hair (no, silly, not me–there’s no strategy to my tousled hair)…followed by a painfully long melodramatic silence…we zoom in on the hot host’s serious face…we’ll find out, right after these messages.

• The United States ranks 49th among 156 United Nations member countries in its literacy rate–a drop of 18 places since 1950.
• More than 20% of adults read at or below a fifth grade level–far below the level needed to earn a living wage.
• Americans spent $64.38 per taxpayer on video games in 2002. The federal government spent $3.56 per taxpayer on adult basic education and literacy instruction in the same period.
• More than eight million student in grades 4-12 read below grade level. Most are able to sound out words–the challenge isn’t to teach them to decode text but, rather, to help them comprehend what they read.
• As the education level of adults improves, so does their children’s success in school. Helping low-literate adults improve their basic skills has a direct and measurable impact on both the education and quality of life of their children.

For those of you just joining us, the results for the Needle and Thread: Stitching for Literacy 2008 Bookmark Challenge are in. Last year we collected and donated 429 hand-stitched bookmarks.

The bookmarks are crafted by needleworkers across the US and in several foreign countries. They are collected by independent needlework shops then donated to local libraries, schools, and literacy programs during Children’s Book Week, and awarded to kids and adults as a reward for reading accomplishments.

This year, we collected…another quiet drum roll…followed by a another tense, concerned look from our gorgeous host still with strategically tousled hair (and still no strategy to my tousled hair)…followed by another painfully long melodramatic silence…

638 hand-stitched bookmarks!

Big music…confetti…balloons…flashing colored lights…a quivering lip…a few tears…a blush…

Congratulations to all of us!

Seriously, that’s fantastic.

I am enormously proud of us. More importantly, though, I’ve learned heaps, and I am inspired by your enthusiasm to do more with and for this program. We have a year to plan and prepare for the 2009 Bookmark Challenge. I like surprises, so I’m not sure how much about the plans I’ll share, but anything that is shared, will be shared here. Of course, if you have ideas, I hope you’ll share, too.

Participating shop owners have promised more pictures and further details as time permits, so stay tuned. Of course, the blog will carry on with discussions about needlework, reading, writing, and life in Alaska.