Volunteering at Clinica Health Center allows me to interact and read to many children, an awesome activity that I love. Unfortunately however it doesn’t allow me to build a strong bond with a specific child since I may only see that child once. Although I am very grateful for you allowing me to continue volunteering at Clinica Health Center and counting this as a credit, I believe that at the end of this semester I will no longer work with them. Yes, I will continue volunteering reading to children after this class is over, but I want to build a relationship with a child. In other words I might transfer over to the buddy system at the library or one of the other programs that you offer. Listening to my peer’s stories about working with one child has made me jealous of the bond that they built together.
All that being said, one of my favorite experiences happened two weeks ago. At any given point there can be anywhere from zero to ten children in the waiting room. Often I’ll go up to one of the children and begin reading to them, and then another child becomes curious and often joined. While volunteering two weeks ago I did exactly that, I began reading to one child, but what was different is ALL the children in the room came over and began listening. This alone made me very happy. Additionally, one of the older girls raised her hand when I asked if anyone else would like to read. This experience was especially enjoyable to me because I could see the joy and excitement on all of the children’s faces and the confidence in that one girl. It takes a lot to say you will read out loud in front of strangers and even more confidence to be able to read out loud in front of other kids.
Volunteering reading to children not only makes me sound like a saint but also allows me to grow as an individual. I can see the appreciation on the parent’s faces when I tell them I am a volunteer and ask if I can read to their child/children. Reading is of the utmost importance and if I can act as a role model, even if it is only one time with any given child, then I have accomplished my goal. I hope to inspire these kids to read and inspire their parents to understand the importance of reading.
