Mentor a Child

I was fortunate that my mother taught me to read before I even entered kindergarten. Not only did she teach me to read, she also read to me for literally hours on end. She was literally the epitome of the proverb: "You may have tangible wealth untold, caskets of jewels and coffers of gold -- richer than I, you can never be. I had a mother who read to me."

Books are so important to me, and it is important to me to share this love of reading with a child. With a bit of internet searching, I found the In2Books program. It pairs you up with a student (the teacher acts as the liaison, all participants are background checked) that you read books with throughout the school year. The goal is to be a literacy pen-pal -- to encourage them to read, to ask them questions, and listen to their ideas about the books they are reading in class.


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I just finished out the school year, communicating with a young boy that lives on a ranch in Wyoming. His letters are so sweet, and genuine, truly childlike. He talks about being afraid of being a celebrity (too much attention from pesky photographers) and how he doesn't like bullies (they are mean). He tells me about his horses, and his favorite books. He is so curious about living in California! His letters always make me smile.

I have to admit, I also got something out of this program. Reading one book in particular "The Empty Pot" was especially fulfilling. It is a fable set in China and it bestows a very, very powerful message. I highly recommend it!

I also read a book called "Willma Unlimited" about a young girl that was born with polio, but went on to train her own legs to move and walk and then RUN. She even won several Olympic Gold Medals in racing! This book was such an inspiration to ME about the value of perseverance.

I highly, highly recommend this program, especially to busy professionals that might not be able to participate in more involved community volunteerism. It is a memorable experience, and as my favorite writer Andy Andrews says, EVERYTHING WE DO MATTERS.  To ourselves, to the people around us. You never know what small thing you do will cause -- the Butterfly Effect is a law of science, not some hocus pocus notion of New Agers. We will all make a difference in the world -- the question is, will that difference be for good or for bad?

For my part, I hope that even small things like writing encouraging letters to a small child might be the sort of thing that ripples -- and one day may even change the world for the better. That's one girl's hope, anyway. 

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