Submitted by: Amanda Shaver, Volunteer Manager
During this season of giving, I feel so fortunate to be a in the position to work with so many amazing individuals and groups who do so much for the people in our community—not just during the holidays, but all year long. All of us at BookSpring would like to extend our sincerest thanks to all of our supporters. Without you, we would not be able to provide the motivation and joy of reading to so many families. As a way of saying thank you, we would like to share a story of how the efforts of a group of caring individuals from 3M’s Team Austin has laid the foundation for a culture of support at Wooten Elementary School.
Team Austin became involved with helping out at Wooten Elementary over 20 years ago, and their connection to the school has blossomed to create a network of support that strives to meet a wide variety of student needs. BookSpring receives funding from 3M to provide the Reading is Fundamental (RIF) program to the students at Wooten, and Team Austin volunteers fully staff all of Wooten’s RIF events. Volunteers help read stories, conduct reader’s theater plays, help children select “forever” books, and generally share their love of reading and education with children. Volunteers are so important to these events because that human connection–that moment when children see that there is a caring volunteer genuinely interested in the book they have chosen and one who cares about whether they read it and enjoy it–can make the difference in whether or not the spark of a true love of reading is ignited.
The 3M volunteers are particularly important, according to Wooten librarian Lynn Cipriano, because they’re a real
presence in the school. Children can count on seeing familiar Team Austin faces, and they know those same volunteers are going to want to know if the children read and enjoyed their books the next time they see them. In addition to RIF, 3M also provides volunteers for the Junior Achievement program and student mentoring programs. 3M’s HOLA (Hispanic Organization for Leadership Advancement), which has representation on Team Austin, sponsors an annual clothing drive in August and hoodie drive in November benefitting Wooten students. Some 3Mers have served as judges for the Wooten science fair, and for the past 3 years HOLA has sponsored a Wooten family in need for the holidays. Children never have to wait long to see a familiar 3M volunteer!
Leticia Hernandez, a member of 3M’s Team Austin, and a RIF volunteer for the past 18 years, shared her reason for continuing her volunteer efforts: “My mother, a single parent with 5 kids, instilled in us the importance of an education. She always made sure nothing interfered with our schooling – homework was always priority over helping with chores. Many of the Wooten students are in the financial situation I was in growing up so I want to do whatever possible to help them advance. It breaks my heart to see statistics showing drop-out rates amongst the Latino population. I believe that even the small things I do through my volunteer work makes some contribution, and I will continue to reach out to Wooten students. When I get the opportunity, I share with students my background and tell them they can succeed in whatever they aspire to do.”
As the BookSpring volunteer manager, I am honored to be a part of this culture of support we can all provide for those in need, and I thank the 3M Austin Team and all of our phenomenal volunteers for their service this year.
“The thing that lies at the foundation of positive change is service to a fellow human being” – Lee Iacocca
