Meet The Nonprofit: Sinkinson Dyslexia Foundation

Written by Jamie McAllister

When you pick up a copy of By the Bay: East Beach Stories and By the Bay 2: More East Beach Stories, you are getting more than two amazing beach reads. You are also helping to support grassroots organizations doing amazing things for people in Hampton Roads. 

A portion of the proceeds from both By the Bay anthologies are donated to nonprofits dedicated to literacy in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. The anthology authors are proud to support groups that go above and beyond to encourage and promote reading in the communities they call home.

One of the nonprofit groups our anthologies support is Sinkinson Dyslexia Foundation. Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, SDF is a 501(c)3 that trains volunteers in Orton-Gillingham, an approach used to teach children and adults with dyslexia how to read. Tutoring is offered free of charge to individuals living in low to low-middle income households. The group offers up to 100 hours of free one-on-one tutoring with a volunteer. Many students work with their tutor for more than a year.  

Since 2014, Sinkinson Dyslexia Foundation has 

* received 152 applications for free reading tutoring

* tested the reading levels of 70 students and

* matched 62 students with a tutor

Eighty-six volunteers have received specialized training from SDF, and the group proudly reports that 12 students have fully graduated. (To graduate, participants must meet or exceed average reading scores for their age or grade level.)

All of the By the Bay authors are proud to support Sinkinson in their efforts to bring the joy of reading to those with dyslexia.

To learn more about Sinkinson Dyslexia Foundation, visit their website at www.sinkinsondyslexiafoundation.org. Follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sinkinsondyslexiafoundation.

About the author: Jamie McAllister is the author of “The Mermaid” in the anthology By the Bay 2: More East Beach Stories, published in 2017. She is a freelance writer in Virginia Beach. For more information about Jamie and her work, please visit her website.

Independence Day

Written by Michelle Davenport

Tomorrow is the July Fourth, also known as Independence day.  Most of us think of it as a day for parades, barbecues, fireworks, picnics, baseball games and family reunions.  

Wait!  Pardon me for a moment as I give just a teensy history lesson here.  Can't help myself!

Independence Day also referred to as the Fourth of July or July Fourth, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence 241 years ago on July 4, 1776.   The Continental Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation, the United States of America, and were no longer part of the British Empire.

During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain in 1776 actually occurred on July 2, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia declaring the United States independent from Great Britain rule.  After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. 

Congress debated and revised the wording of the Declaration, finally approving it two days later on July 4. 

And now you know.  I'll step off my soap box now.

Enjoy your fourth of July!

About the author: Michelle Davenport is the author of “Second Chances at East Beach” in By the Bay: East Beach Stories.  Her story “Tag!  You’re Dead” is in By The Bay 2: More East Beach Stories.  For more information on Michelle, please visit her website.

HarborFest 2017

Written by Mary-Jac O'Daniel

A few weeks ago, we went over to Harbor Fest. We enjoyed touring the different ships, on what was a pretty hot and muggy day. I even gave an inpromptu performance of one of my favorite Aussie songs, “Waltzing Matilda”! As we were walking down one of the piers, I saw a boat with the name, “Waltzing Matilda” on it. “Look honey, “Waltzing Matilda” I said to my husband, who understands the association with Australia. The owner was nearby and quipped, “Do you know the words?” Little did he know that when I lived and worked there for a short stint during college, I had made it a personal goal to learn all of the words to that song before I left. So, I bust out singing, “Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong under the shade of a coolibah tree and he sand as he watched and waited til his billy boiled.” The jolly Aussie joined in singing with me there on the dock. I gave him a quick smile and then darted down the pier towards my husband, who was disassociating himself from my lovely rendition. Later on, after we had sufficiently stuffed ourselves with various assortments of food and beverages, we escaped the crowds, and took the ferry across to Portsmouth where we enjoyed a barbecue and fireworks from the pier near a friend’s boat. 

About the author: Mary Jac O'Daniel is the author of "Zinneas Always Bloom" in By the Bay: East Beach Stories. Her story "Forays into Sailing" is in By the Bay 2: More East Beach Stories.

Mule's Big Day

Today we have an excerpt from "Mule's Big Day" by Will Hopkins.

But first let's read his blurb. 

Mule Dantone woke this morning with a jackhammer hangover and a missing wallet. Worse, the redhead also nicked his new TV and rent’s due tomorrow.  But it’s a pretty summer morning in old Ocean View, and Mule’s got a plan.

Wow!  Don't you want more with that?

Well here's a bit more,  check out an excerpt from his story.

First Landing

Today we have an excerpt from "First Landing" by Will Hopkins.

But first let's read his blurb. 

1607. Exhausted English sailors step onto the wind-swept beach of a strange new land. Unsure of what lies in the dark forests beyond the dunes, and fearful of Spanish attack from the sea, the men leave this forbidding place to find safer harbor.  Except two men. This is their tale.

Wow!  Don't you want more with that?

Well here's a bit more,  check out an excerpt from his story.

Gatlins Come To EB

Today we have an excerpt from "Gatlins Come To EB" by Elizabeth Kimball.

But first let's read her blurb. 

Cate Gatlin's life is about to change. When her military husband receives unexpected orders, this new Navy wife finds herself on a whirlwind search for a new home in Norfolk, Virginia. Little does she know, a new world of possibilities awaits her in East Beach.

Wow!  Don't you want more with that?

Well here's a bit more,  check out an excerpt from her story.

Author Interview: Mike Owens

Have you met our author Mike Owens?

No?

If you click on the AUTHOR INTERVIEW TAB you'll find an interview that we did with him as well as a few photos.

Each of the contributing authors submitted a question for this interview.  Which makes for an interesting interview.

So stop by and check out Mike's interview.  Here's just a sample of one of the many questions.

What is your favorite genre movie and is it the same genre that you like to read?

This one is easy, no favorite genre. Just tell/show me a good story, presented well, and I'm happy.