This summer, 22 multilingual children in HARC & AACF’s ENOUGH program read books in some of their free time instead of playing with their phones or watching TV. In the “I Read A Book” program, children read and reported on books to earn credit toward purchasing back-to-school clothing and school supplies. This program culminated in a celebration on August 14.
The “I Read A Book” celebration included certificates and words of praise and encouragement for each child, and each received a backpack of goodies donated by the United Way of Washington County. Joy and exuberance filled the air as each child accepted their award
, and the pride of parents was evident.
Bilingual Community Workers Julien Patrick Tete Wabo and Jane Powell created the “I Read A Book” program with the objective to provide children with an alternative to phone use and to strengthen relationships within families. Books were provided by United Way and Children In Need.
The children who participated were excited about reading, enthusiastic about coming to the office for their interviews, and equally excited about earning money to help purchase back-to-school items. Their engagement was evident not only in their participation, but also in the pride they took in completing the program requirements.
One girl read a book each week and consistently went above and beyond the program’s expectations. Each time she returned a book, she also brought a drawing of a character from the story, sharing her artistic talent with the ENOUGH team (one picture shown here).
Another child chose a book that he loved that was, he later admitted, too challenging for his reading level. However, he did not return the book. He, with the help of his father and brother, persevered. His brother helped with the reading of the book. His father helped with the homework and drew pencil lines on the sheet to enable the son to write neatly and legibly. With the help of his family, the son completed the book and earned the $10 credit.
In the same family on another occasion, the elder brother borrowed a book about deep water ocean life. With clear exuberance, he literally LUNGED for the book when he saw it, as he just about breathlessly explained what he knew about the subject. He returned the book with the same exuberance and an improved knowledge about the adaptations of and species found in the ocean depths.
At the celebration, a boy who read six books over the summer was asked if he read a lot before this. “No,” he replied. “I never liked to read.” When asked if he likes to read now, he said “Yes!”
