Hundreds of volunteers read to students for Read United Day

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Hundreds of volunteers, including members of our WTOC Team, headed out to schools across the Coastal Empire to read to students for Read United Day.

Each student also got to take home a book, thanks to all of our incredible viewers!

“The kids were funny, they laughed, they hugged me when we were done. It was wonderful,” said John Paul Moore, with Thomas and Hutton.

“It is such a joyful experience to read to children and it is such a joyful experience to have them enjoy being read to,” Savannah-Chatham Superintendent Dr. Ann Levett said.

One month ago, WTOC helped hold a telethon with the United Way of the Coastal Empire to raise money to buy books for the kids in our community. Today those books were put in the hands of our future generations.

“Show them that reading can be fun. It’s something that we all love to do no matter the age,” said DeAndria Scott, with Shaw Industry.

Pre-K through second graders at schools in Effingham, Liberty, Bryan and Chatham counties listened in as community volunteers, and those of us at WTOC, read them a story.

“Our company believes in it, and we believe it in our heart. It’s a great thing to help the community,” Moore said.

Dr. Levett read to the students as well. She says it’s important that children develop a love for reading because it helps them succeed later in life.

“This is a period of their fastest brain development, so we want to capture that. The other thing we want them to do is to see adults who are also reading. We all love to be read to,” Dr. Levett said.

“It’s key to the development of children. I mean even from a very, very young age they need to be read to and then they need to be taught to read and then they need to have books to read,” Susan Hancock said.

After story time, more than 19,000 kids left school with a new book in their backpack to take home.

“It helps with vocabulary, articulating. It takes you so far. It helps build your imagination,” Scott said.

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