|
Reading to Children Sparks Student Idea for Book Charity
 Barnard junior Ora Bayewitz has transformed her love of reading to children into a start-up charitable project called Book Buddies, which distributes new and used donated books from publishing houses and individuals to sick and disadvantaged children.
The charity is associated with Columbia/Barnard Tzedek/Social Justice Hillel and has drawn support from some of the largest publishing companies in the country, including Eerdmans Publishing Company, which has donated 500 books. Sam Eerdmans is a Columbia University graduate.
As a first-year Barnard student in 2002, Ora began volunteering with Project Sunshine, a national not-for-profit organization that supports programs and services to children with cancer, AIDS, and other life-threatening illnesses. Working with children in city hospitals, Bayewitz was struck by how much the children enjoyed being read to and came up with the idea to distribute books at no charge to sick and disadvantaged children.
Book Buddies, which involves 20 Barnard and Columbia student volunteers and receives funds from Project Sunshine, distributed more than 2,000 books last year.
This year, Bayewitz once again has the participation of Columbia and Barnard students, and has also recruited alumnae to become involved with the reading program.
Publishing houses have donated 1,300 books and Book Buddies also collects new and used books from book drives.
The donated books are given to children after volunteer reading sessions.
"The children, ranging from infants to pre-teens, come to the St. Luke's outpatient clinic for medical check-ups," explains Bayewitz. "While the children sit in the waiting room, Barnard and Columbia students encourage them to read for pleasure, serving as reading role models. A volunteer may read aloud to a group of children, read one-on-one with an individual child, or listen to a child practice reading. At the end of the reading session, each child is given a book to begin or expand his or her library."
St. Luke's outpatient clinic serves 200 patients per week so Book Buddies has had an impact on thousands of children who have received free books. Parents who attend reading sessions are encouraged to read with their children.
Perhaps the most exciting new development is the partnership with Starbucks Coffee. Five Starbucks stores in the Morningside Heights area will participate this year in book collections. Additionally, many volunteer employees will participate in reading to clinic patients.
"Book Buddies has enhanced the community, not only by providing books to the kids, but by recruiting different groups from the community to get involved in the project," Bayewitz said. "Now, not only do Columbia and Barnard students volunteer their time, but Starbucks Partners volunteer to read at the clinic as well as collect book for the reading program." In the first three weeks, more than 300 books were collected at on Starbucks outlet.
Bayewitz wants to establish Book Buddies chapters on other college campuses and will work at the Project Sunshine national office next semester to help develop Book Buddies into a national program. The first expansion of Book Buddies will be at John Jay College, where students will volunteer at Roosevelt Hospital.
For more information, please contact Glenn Slavin in the Barnard Office of Public Affairs, (212) 854-7522, gslavin@barnard.edu
|
