Merci beaucoup de la bibliotheque de Vernon.
The Vernon branch of the Okanagan Regional Library was given $3,000 from the Canadian Parents for French (CPF) Vernon chapter Thursday, Feb. 27.
"The money will be used to help get more books for French immersion, about 175 books," said Stephanie Thoreson, youth services librarian at the Vernon branch.
The books will help students from W.L. Seaton, Beairsto Elementary, and all core French students, parents learning French, and other Francophones and Francophiles in the North Okanagan.
The Vernon executive of the CPF 鈥� Kim Williams, Navi Dhaliwal, Kelly Gruner, Mary Cuk, and Yvonne Fiala 鈥� voted to donate the money after former member Cheryl Dowler, who spearheaded the French Summer Reading Club a few years ago, brought the matter up.
"CPF donates prizes for all students who sign up and read French books throughout the summer," said CPF. "We found there was much room for improvement in the selection of good French books, and they are then available to everyone."
CPF hopes to carry on with some of its other activities, including Le Club, an after-school weekly club organized in conjunction with the library, as well as the French Film Festival for French immersion (FI) students at the Towne Theatre. To do so, more volunteers and more funding are needed.
CPF BC-Yukon offers free memberships to all FI parents, and will then forward a proportion of annual funding to the Vernon chapter.
"We have been continuously encouraging parents and grandparents to join for free," said the local CPF chapter. "We hope a few hundred more parents will again join, and help to fund and advocate French immersion simply by signing up online. It takes less than 90 seconds."
Canadian Parents for French is a national organization founded in 1977 by parents in conjunction with the federal government to found the first French immersion schools across the country. There are currently more than 150 chapters from coast to coast to coast.
Local French immersion students are starting to prepare for the annual Coucours d'Art Oratoire that takes place every year in almost every class across the country.
