On October 20th we held our Daddy and Me literacy program at the Hawthorne Youth and Community Center. Local author Veronica N. Chapman came as our guest reader to share her book “King Khalid is Proud.” Many of the dads could relate to Khalid’s dad struggling with bedtime rules. After the read aloud the children had a snack and colored a “King Khalid is Proud” coloring sheet. Our group continues to grow! Our next Daddy and Me session will be November 17th 12:00-2:00PM at the Hawthorne Youth and Community Center.
During the month of October, our Book Club celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month by learning about Tito Puente in the story “Tito Puente Mambo King” by Monica Brown. October is also Anti Bullying Month and “Chrysanthemum” by Kevin Henkes sparked a great group discussion about acceptance. We ended the month on Halloween by reading “Boris and Bella” by Carolyn Crimi. This fun story highlights how friendships can develop between different personalities. For our November sessions, we will be learning about Native American heritage and making our own dream catchers.
This year 15 Boston Public Schools will participate in the Read to Achieve program. The Read to Achieve program is a partnership with the Boston Celtics where students who read at home earn prizes and are eligible for special Celtics events. Throughout October we visited all of the participating schools to congratulate them and speak with the students about the program. On October 29th, in partnership with the Boston Celtics and Southern New Hampshire University, we hosted a Read to Achieve kickoff event at the Gardner Pilot School.
St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children offers innovative and family-centered programs for women and children who have experienced trauma and are living in poverty. On October 2nd ReadBoston hosted a read-aloud workshop for the mothers of St. Mary’s. All of the mothers in attendance chose 3 books to add to their children’s libraries.
Thumbprint Cares is a non-profit, community-based homeownership organization. Their goal is to educate, empower, and build strong communities through their workshops, partnerships, and community events. ReadBoston has supported the Thumbprint Cares back to school backpack drive for the past two years. At the annual Thumbprint Cares Gala, ReadBoston was honored with the Community Partnership Award. We love collaborating with organizations that support the communities we serve.
