“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” - Dr. Seuss.
This quote is the
perfect way to describe the attitude of the Promising Pages team as they
celebrated a successful and fun summer at the End of the Summer
Party this past Monday, August 20th. Volunteer Patricia Ozmeral hosted dinner and a pool party at her lovely
home with summer interns, Chair members of the Board, and dedicated volunteers
in attendance. This get-together capped off the summer by highlighting the
outstanding accomplishments of the high school interns.
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| Jackson Jones receiving an Outstanding Intern Award |
This summer at Promising Pages would not have been possible
without the help of 22 “Ermiterns” who dedicated the majority of their
summer vacation to collecting books, helping with Magic Book Parties,
organizing and wrapping at the CBI warehouse, and having an overall genuine desire
to inspire kids to read. This past Monday was a chance for Kristina Cruise,
Promising Pages’ Founder, to reveal the outstanding accomplishments of each
summer intern. The interns in attendance were personally thanked and recognized
in front of the Promising Pages team and Kristina presented a certificate, a journal, and a
gas card to show appreciation for their hard work and commitment.
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| Maddy Gasior receiving an Excellence Award |
Kristina Cruise explained the achievements of each
individual and the dedication of these high school students is inspiring. The students put in a total of 1,777 volunteer hours and collected 6,135
donated books. Most importantly, over the course of the summer, 7,101 books
were placed into the hands of children across Charlotte by partnering with programs such as
Y-Readers and Crisis Assistance Ministries. With the help of so many willing
interns, these children did not just receive books. They were given a gift with
care and compassion and they witnessed the joy that accompanies reading.
While the average high school student will remember their
summer by the number of hours they put in at the pool, these “Ermiterns” will
think back on their summer in terms of how many books they sorted, cleaned, and
gift wrapped. They will remember hauling boxes of books into Magic Book Parties
and taking part in the awe and excitement of young children who thought of them
as their friends.
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| Six of our wonderful High School Interns! |
When asking a few “Ermiterns” for their most favorite memory
from this summer at Promising Pages, Jackson Jones (a Junior at Myers Park HS)
replied “My favorite memory would have to be this one time when we were handing
out books at Crisis. Near the end, this little girl was really excited to get
her book. When she unwrapped it, it was a book about elephants. The memory of her
jumping up and down saying ‘Elephant book!’ has really stuck with me and made
this summer worthwhile.” Allie Halter (a Senior at Myers Park)
answered “my absolute favorite memory from working with Promising Pages this
summer would have to be at one of our Magic Book parties. A little boy went up
in front of the class with Erma the Bookworma and as she had him close his eyes
and imagine what he wanted to be when he grew up his eyelids started to flutter
and he got THE biggest smile on his face! It was like an outward display of the
internal power of the magic book!” Kristina Cruise, the Erma who reveals the
power of the Magic Book, had a similar favorite summer memory. Kristina said
she always enjoyed watching the children as they crowded around to place their
hand on the Book. After they closed their eyes, their eyes would continue to
twitch out of excitement because they were so focused on the moment of envisioning what they wanted to be when they were older.
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| A Yummy Thanks! |
From the numbers and the memories, it is obvious that this
summer has been full of magical moments for both
Promising Pages volunteers and the children they serve. As the “Ermiterns” return to school and I jump on
board as a new intern, I realize that there are some very big shoes to fill.
However, hearing the incredible experiences of these summer volunteers makes me excited and eager to continue the mission of this organization. One
thing is for certain –we have not seen the last of these high school students.
Whether it is with Promising Pages or other community projects, their enthusiasm
and passion for service will continue to be felt across Charlotte this coming
year.
--Brennan Shearer
