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| Team Read 2013! |
There’s
no doubt about it --summer has a knack for flying by! This is exactly
the case for us at Promising Pages. We have never been busier with Magic
Book Parties, book sorting and wrapping, and book distributions to our
sweet friends at Crisis Assistance Ministry. We have loved partnering
with old and new friends --Freedom Schools, Y-Readers, and the Male
Leadership Academy. Our Warehouse is in a current state of organized
chaos as we prep for our huge Book Sale come August. We are on the move
--but none of this would be possible without the help of TeamRead2013,
the current hands and feet of our organization.
Flashback
to the beginning of June when Promising Pages received the news that
the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, in efforts to “Continue the Legend” agreed to sponsor “Team Read 2013” --a force of 45 of Charlotte’s most
talented and creative high school students. These high school students
come from 18 different high schools and have joined us this summer to
host 120 early literacy events, coordinate their own book drives, and help create personal
libraries for children who would otherwise have none. The Dale Earnhardt Foundation agreed to support Team Read after deciding that Promising Pages also shares the three core values that Dale valued most: Commitment to Children, Education and Environmental Preservation. We are honored to have the Dale Earnhardt Foundation as our title sponsor for everything that we put our hearts into this summer. The Foundation kicked the summer off with us when Taylor Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt’s daughter, visited us at the high school intern’s summer orientation and saw first hand what was in store for Team Read 2013 this summer!
Since
June, you may have seen on social media our Team Read sporting the
yellow “TeamRead 2013” shirts while loving on kids around Charlotte or
hard at work in the Warehouse. One of the most exciting events our
Team had the privilege to be a part of was a Magic Book Party and Bookshelf reveal at the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope Women's Shelter
Our
Team transported 3,000 brand new books to the Shelter, set up a bookshelf donated
by the Dale Earnhardt Foundation that spanned an entire wall, and
then wrapped it like a huge present! Thirty children were brought in
the room so that Erma the Bookworma could encourage reading while each child
received a brand new book. Then it was time for the huge Bookshelf
reveal! The experience can best be shared by two of our Team Read
interns who were in the midst of the excitement:
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| Ashley (center) and Team Read wrapping BIG time! |
donated 3,000 new books total! As we were putting the books on the shelf the women
came in for lunch and they were excited about all the books they saw. Then Avery,
Jensen, and I took on our own little project of making a bow to put in the center of
the shelf on top of all the rolls of wrapping paper! In the end our little DIY project
turned out really well. By 2 pm the kids started to fill up the cafeteria. Some of us
began to talk to them and they got really excited. As soon as Erma the Book Worma
came out ,all their faces lit up! It was so cute to see their faces when they went up
to touch Erma’s magic book. There were many little smiles and eyes twitching. It was
also fun to see them get excited and unwrap their books. I was surprised when we
split up because a lot of the kids from coming from such a rough background were
really good readers! They told me they loved school! The kids reaction when they
unwrapped the bookshelf was amazing. They were all excited and amazed at the
amount of books.
The best part of the whole day was when I interacted with this little boy who was in
first grade. In the beginning when we were talking to him he did not seem excited
for this magic book party. He said that he really did not like to read and that it was not
very fun. As the party started and began to go on I could see his mood changing. He
got a smile on his face and started participating more. He was overwhelmed with joy
when he got his own book that he could call his own. At the end I went over to him
and asked him what were his thoughts. He said he was excited to read his new book.
Then he proceeded to thank me and told me he was going to read everyday! It is
times like those that make all of what I do worth it. If I can make a difference in one
of the kids lives that is amazing to me.
-Ashley Fisher
Events
like the one at the Women's Shelter are exactly what sets Promising
Pages apart from the rest of the non-profit organizations that donate
books. There is a much different reality when instead of just giving a
group of kid a HUGE bookshelf of books you give books excitement and
meaning to the books being donated. When I attended the event all the
kids were so excited as soon as "Erma the Bookworma" walked in and even
when they got their own presents (books). To add onto that the kids
enjoyed unwrapping their huge bookshelf of books and then grabbing a
book they wanted to read.
Reading
with the kids after Erma has done her job is one of the most rewarding
parts. This week I read with a little girl named Shanece and boy did we
have fun going through her new magic book. The book Promising Pages
chose out for her age group was phenomenal! We went through the book
"Yummy in my Tummy" reading each page and making faces to react with
what the main character was eating. If you would've stood up towards the
end of the Magic Book Party you would've looked out into the room to
see tons of kids and Team Read 2013 members all learning how to be
bookworms! Even after the Magic Book Party ended a few kids would wander
in and see if they could get books to read that evening. More Magic
Book Parties here I come!
-Kassandra Walker
Thanks TeamRead 2013 for your dedication so far - keep up the awesome work!
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