Club Members Read to Kids in Summer Reading Buddies Program

Posted on Aug 09, 2016
 
Club members joined volunteers from other community organizations at the Riverfront Library in downtown Yonkers to participate in the JCY-Westchester Community Partners Summer Reading Buddies program.
 
The program ran for six weeks on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5th July to 10th August at the Riverfront Library and at the Mount Vernon Public library  More than 250 volunteers have read with more than 1100 children. Club President Mahbub Ahmad, Past President Rev. Loren Russell and President-Elect Alix Schnee represented the Club. 
 
There have also already been visits from guest readers – County Executive Rob Astorino, Dr. Quezada from the Yonkers Public Schools, and members of Con Edison, which is a sponsor of Science Buddies.
 
Volunteers are paired with children in kindergarten through grade six who go to the library for help with their summer reading list, which is assigned by their school.  Volunteers worked with several children during each two-hour session. The children selected a book and then were matched up with a volunteer. After introductions, the “buddies” found a spot where they worked together for 20 minutes. The volunteers encouraged the student to read, and helped with specific words, pronunciation and comprehension. When they finished the book, the volunteer helped the child complete a worksheet.
 
The libraries gave out “passports” to every child who registered for Summer Reading Buddies and each child got a stamp on his or her passport for each day attended.