Video: Summer Reading Buddies Keep Skills Sharp

Teaching children a lifelong skill is why 16-year-old Marissa Colon volunteers at the Newark Library.

The Newark Memorial High School senior is one of approximately 20 teen volunteers who devote nearly every Wednesday afternoon to young children who love reading.

The Summer Buddies Reading program allows children from preschool through grade four to team up with a teen. Younger children are read to while children who can read, pick and choose books to read to their teen buddies.

Each child is teamed up with a buddy for 30 minutes. The program is held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, with four 30-minute segments.

Library assistant Kathleen Hannon said the purpose of the program is to give children a chance to practice reading and provide parents —who are invited to a workshop while their children read — with tools to help them build their children’s reading skills throughout the summer.

"Once you learn to read, you can enjoy it," Hannon said.

Volunteers said they get involved because it is a rewarding experience.

For 17-year-old Victor Verdugo it was also about being able to fulfill the desire to read with children whose parents speak another language.

Verdugo, who also attends Newark Memorial, said often times he has seen children who want to read to an older person.

"That’s truly an inspiring moment, to have helped someone with a language barrier,"  Verdugo said.

Summer Reading Buddies runs through Aug. 10 and participants must register in advance, due to limited space. For more information or to register, contact Hannon at 510-795-2627, extension 18, or at khannon@aclibrary.org.

To see the program in action, watch the video above.