Macy Wehman, of National Charity League, is pictured reading aloud at the Rosewood Apartment Community Center.
Keeping the minds and bodies of families fed is part of the Housing Authority City of Austin’s mission this summer. Through partnerships with the Capital Area Food Bank and BookSpringGo, children and parents- residing at 8 affordable housing locations throughout the Austin area- are being enriched with meals, books, and the message about the importance of reading together.
Daily they are provided with nutritious meals to offset those they would receive in a lunchroom during the school year. To thrive, it is important to ensure these needs are met year round. These sites are also hosting BookSpring Day activities monthly during their lunchtimes in activity centers and community rooms.
About a dozen dedicated volunteer groups are giving their time to spend exposing families to fun reading experiences. Stories are read aloud, and children can then create their own bookmarks, among other crafty activities, to take home with the books they select to add to their home collection.
Stories and anecdotes about favorite titles are commonly exchanged between the volunteers and these families.
Exposing those who may have not found the joy of reading that lies at the flip of every page of a good book, is a rewarding experience for everyone. This project speaks to the fact that reading can indeed be a fun, enriching, and simple shared family activity. Activities such as this offered by BookSpringGo can increase the likelihood of reading becoming a part of every family’s daily life.
Through community efforts such as this we can continue to uplift one another to increase the rate of success for these children. Research shows that their chance to excel in school improves once they adopt daily reading habits outside of the classroom.
A special thank you to National Charity League, Austin Junior Forum, Austin Allies, Apple, Keller Williams Reality events team, IBM, Aliya, and our devoted individual volunteers for the greatest gift of all: their time.
Books have the potential to change lives and together we can continue to spread that message across Central Texas.
For more information on BookSpringGo: Click Here
To get involved: Volunteer or Donate Books
