“Children become readers on the laps of their parents.” I heard this sentiment last evening at the Storybook Ball, the annual fundraising gala for United Through Reading. But what if one of those laps is halfway around the world? I’ve written here before about the great work United Through Reading does for families of deployed servicemembers. It works with the USO here and around the world to give fathers and mothers a chance to read to their children. Servicemembers are videotaped reading their choice of story from the library maintained at the USO post, and then the videotape is mailed by United Through Reading to the child or children. It’s a simple idea but a very effective one. Here’s a video explaining the program.
Last night we heard testimonials from some of the many affected by United Through Reading. Particularly touching were the images and stories of very young children--photos of them kissing the television screen while their parent was reading, or in the case of a little girl only five months old when her father deployed, recognizing him immediately when he came home at last. Another wonderful story is that of a teenager whose father was going to miss her high school graduation. He recorded the children’s book “The Places You’ll Go” for her, and made a treasured memory of a painful time.
Sometimes the memories created by United Through Reading are bittersweet. One woman wrote to say that a new DVD arrived a few days after they had received word the father who had made the recording was missing in action. They watched it not knowing whether he was alive or dead. Within a few minutes, they received the dreaded knock on the door. The “I love you” at the end of the recording had been his chance to say goodbye.
Founder Betty J. Mohlenbrock was a young mother and the military wife of a flight surgeon deployed during the Vietnam War. The consequences of her husband’s absence on their two-year-old daughter was made clear to her when her husband returned from duty and their little girl did not recognize him. A teacher and reading specialist, Betty founded United Through Reading in 1989. Since then, over one million children, parents and others have participated.
Support for United Through Reading comes primarily from private sources, and over 80% of the funds go directly to program expenses. It has the highest possible rating, four stars, from Charity Navigator, and it is a member of both the Combined Federal Campaign and the Better Business Bureau. It has received the Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation, the Newman's Own Award, the James Patterson's PageTurner Award, San Diego Military Advisory Council Achievement Award, the Kaleidoscope Award for Exceptional Board Governance, and the Innovations in Reading Prize from the National Book Foundation.
If you are looking for a way to share the burden of our wars and would like to donate or volunteer, please call 858-481-7323 or go online to info@unitedthroughreading.org.
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