Reading Day benefits community, students
A group of students at USU now help run a new program called Family Reading Day at Hyrum Library. Family Reading Day’s objective is to get families excited about reading, said Ashlee Blohm, senior in psychology and communicative disorders.
Blohm organized and implemented this program for her capstone project for the Service-Learning Scholars program. Blohm’s program has received help by the means of funding and volunteering from the National Student Speech Hearing and Language Association, the Val R. Christensen Service Center, the Service Learning Scholars program, the Storytellers Club and the Spanish Ambassador’s Program, Blohm said.
Professor Sonia Manuel Dupont helped Blohm get the project up and running. Blohm said together they decided the population in Hyrum was in need of a reading program, specifically the Hispanic population. The program evolved over time to be a Spanish-English reading day.
“The main goal has kind of changed, but in general we hope to facilitate reading, get families excited about reading and to have more exposure to literature,” Blohm said.
Blohm said the program, running most Saturdays, except for holiday weekends, began Nov. 15 and has seen an increase in the number of children that have attended. This is exciting for Blohm and the volunteers that participate, Blohm said.
Family Reading Day focuses on one book, a book that either contains English and Spanish words or a book that pertains to and is written in both languages, Blohm said. Volunteers read books to the kids who participate and then the kids can participate in crafts, play games or read other stories.
“The activities are to reinforce ideas and different words that were in the book that was read,” Blohm said.
These activities always include a prize that is oftentimes a book for the kids to take home, Blohm said.
“If I would have known there were prizes, I would have come every time,” Blohm said one young participant told her.
The books were obtained by donations by NSSHLA and from an ongoing book drive held on campus earlier this semester, Blohm said.
By getting families to read together, Blohm hopes it will help to improve children’s performance in school.
“When kids read, school is less intimidating and they like learning more,” Blohm said. “If kids struggle in reading they tend to struggle in all areas of school.”
Currently the program is accepting volunteers but its target is the families that may benefit from the program.
“Anyone who wants to volunteer can get in touch with me, but right now the focus is to get to the families,” Blohm said.
Family Reading Day begins 2 p.m. at the Hyrum Library, located at 50 W. and Main Street in Hyrum. The program will start again in January when the spring semester commences. If interested in volunteering, contact Blohm at a.blohm@aggiemail.usu.edu.
–beck.turner@aggiemail.usu.edu