An estimated 190,000 youth and adults across Northwest Indiana are expected to participate in this year's "Time Out for Reading". At 10 a.m. on Oct. 3 the Northwest Indiana Literacy Coalition and its partner organizations will be inviting everyone to, "stop what they are doing, put their nose in a book, and read!".

Centier Bank is the first financial sponsor of this year's Time Out for Reading. "Centier is pleased to help the Northwest Indiana Literacy Coalition raise awareness of the importance of reading and literacy," said Dian Reyome, Centier Bank Financial Literacy Coordinator. "Time Out for Reading is a fun way promote literacy. Thousands of children will wear red noses on Oct. 3."

Late this summer 60,000 plastic red noses and 190,000 Time Out for Reading bookmarks will be distributed to school children and organization leaders across NWI. The Northwest Indiana Literacy Coalition is seeking funds for red noses, bookmarks and publicity.

Time Out for Reading began in 2003 with participation by a few thousand school children. Since then the program has expanded to include special activities such as the reading of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution in the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Hammond, an event co-sponsored by Hammond Reads. This year's Time Out for Reading will expand to involve 190,000 participants in seven Northwest Indiana counties.

"Plans this year include a new partnership with Books to Bridge the Region, a program in which Northwest Indiana is brought together through a focus on specific books", commented Dennis Gray, Northwest Indiana Literacy Coalition Board volunteer and coordinator of Time Out for Reading. "This partnership is expected to heighten public awareness of both the Books to Bridge the Region program and Time Out for Reading."

For more information about Time Out for Reading or to make a contribution to this year's event, contact Dennis Gray, by email at timeout4reading@cs.com or telephone at (219) 933-2419 ext. 1966. Visit www.nwiliteracy.org for more information about the Northwest Indiana Literacy Coalition.

--For The Times