To the editor: Whiting’s Summer Reading Program a fun-time success

The 2015 Summer Reading Program (“Every Hero Has A Story!”) has come to an end and the Whiting Library couldn’t be more pleased with its success. We had 81 kids sign up for the program and we hope all the kids had as much fun reading, doing crafts, earning prizes and attending parties as we had seeing their smiling faces in the library. There were five parties (two with special guests) and the kids who attended had a really fun time.

We kicked off the celebrations with a Decorate Your Own Superhero Cape Party and the kids had a blast. After decorating their capes, the kids posed for pictures on our awesome superhero backdrop and got their pictures taken.

Our second party was also lots of fun. Lazlo the Service Dog took a little break from his usual volunteering duties at the Northport, N.Y. ,VA Medical Center to show the kids how he was trained to help people with disabilities. After his demonstration, the kids decorated bandanas for the dogs in their lives and learned how to make no-bake dog treats. Lazlo kindly volunteered his services as the official dog treat taster.

For our third party, Officer Adam Woodell of the Chester Police Department talked about how he helps our community. The kids really enjoyed meeting him and learning all about being a law enforcement officer. They also enjoyed the guided tour of Officer Adam’s police cruiser and the demonstration of all the lights and sirens.

The fourth party was Superhero Training Camp and our heroes in training didn’t let a little thing like the threat of rain dampen their spirits. They had a great time making costumes, singing songs and rescuing stuffed animals from an obstacle course.

Our final party was, as always, the Annual Tie-Dye Party. Despite it being the hottest day of the year, there was a large and very enthusiastic turnout to make lots of colorful masterpieces on the back lawn of the Whiting Library. The kids had lots and lots of fun and no one fell in the dye.

Eighty-one children signed up for the program, 666 books were read, more than 75 drop-in crafts were enjoyed, and 105 kids and adults attended the programs and parties. Statistics indicate that if children spend approximately 33.4 minutes reading each day, they will have consumed 2.4 million words per year. Through this program, we hope to have created an initiative to keep on reading.

Our thanks go out to the community members who volunteered to help with the parties, as well as the special guests who took time out of their busy schedules to visit us and teach us all about what it takes to be a hero. Of course, a big thank you to all the kids and parents who read so many books and made our parties such a big success. We hope to see you all again next year.

Theone Wallace
Children’s librarian
Whiting Library
Chester
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