Magical Memories

“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. 

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.

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.

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.

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