Volunteering at the library
Reading Buddies at the Berkeley Public Library encourages children from k-3 to enjoy reading and find interest in literature. We pair up one volunteer with a child and let them enjoy a 30-minute session of reading mixed with some word games.
We have had 20+ high school volunteers, impacted more than 15 families, and continue to impact more!
We volunteer with a passion and hope children can love reading as much as we do!
What the Executives are saying…
What is a special experience you had at a Reading Buddies session?
Adalilly: I read to the same child two seasons in a row and I remember her being really shy at first, I barely had any conversations with her in the first few sessions. I thought about some ideas that might encourage her to open up to me, so I started talking more about her favorite things (unicorns and cats!) and she did end up getting very excited about those conversations. As time went on, she began to start sharing even more stories with me, including things that happened in school or about her older brother. I was delighted when she brought her new stuffy with her to one of the sessions and explained to me that it was a unicorn cat! I’m looking forward to seeing her in future sessions too!
Lea: A special experience I’ve had at Reading Buddies was receiving a handmade thank you card from a child I had volunteered with, it was really heartwarming to know that I had brought a child some joy through my volunteering. I still have that card to this day.
Why do you see Reading Buddies as a meaningful program?
Lea: I think Reading Buddies is meaningful because it not only allows kids to be supported but also creates meaningful connections, bringing support to both volunteers and participants.
Adalilly: Continuing my last answer, I think it’s a meaningful program because we get to build a relationship with the children who come to our program and I think that relationship encourages them to look forward to reading. Knowing how to read is very important because you need reading skills in daily life and it’s better if you read more now than later. To develop the reading skills in early life is beneficial. Furthermore, since I’m a writer myself, I really want to get more people into writing! When I was younger I used to read a lot and that made me start liking writing (because why not create my own stories?) I also think it’s meaningful because I get to discover different picture books (which I don’t usually read) and find very interesting topics they explore.