Written by: Isaiah Cunningham, NHR Tutor and intern.
New Haven Reads is showing their gratitude and appreciation to the volunteers who have continuously supported New Haven Reads and our goal of developing a community of confident readers and expanding book access.
“We at New Haven Reads are so thankful to have such dedicated and involved tutors and volunteers. We are elated to have this opportunity to thank them for their time and effort”, says Fernanda Franco, Outreach Director at New Haven Reads. New Haven Reads is a non-profit organization that relies heavily on volunteers. Our volunteers are our heart and soul of New Haven Reads and we are honored to have them be a part of our team. Therefore, we are awarding navy blue fleece jackets with the New Haven Reads logo on the left chest area to our volunteers with three or more years of service. “I absolutely love the idea of providing volunteers with fleece jackets. These volunteers provide an invaluable service to the community, and it feels wonderful to see their efforts recognized for it,” says Aimee Curtis-Travaglini, Bristol Site Director.
New Haven Reads is always looking for ways to recognize the contributions of our volunteers. Volunteer support is integral to our success, and we’re proud to give them the recognition they deserve. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with New Haven Reads, please click on the link here.
New Haven Reads is currently offering our programs remotely due to the rise in Covid-19 cases. We are seeking volunteers to help tutor our students online. If you or someone you know may be interested please fill out the application here or email volunteer@test.newhavenreads.org for more information.
Susan Burlingame has been tutoring at the Dixwell site for about one year. She started in early 2020, right after the COVID-19 pandemic hit and New Haven Reads had transitioned to a distance learning format. Susan began tutoring because she wanted to help increase students’ reading skills while also sharing some of her favorite books. When asked what keeps her coming back, she responded with, “All of the wonderful, dedicated staff at New Haven Reads and of course the students! It’s so wonderful connecting with them each week.” Susan described a fun experience she had with her first student she tutored. During choice time, they would draw pictures together. They would take turns choosing a subject matter, then draw pictures to show each other once they were done.
A book that “completely carried [her] away” when she was younger was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. One of her current favorites is The Color of Water by James McBride.
Shirley Cavanagh has been tutoring at the Bristol site for almost five years. As a librarian at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), she enjoyed helping students utilize resources for their undergraduate papers and graduate theses. She described herself as being almost a “college tutor.” She is currently a co-president of the Hamden Woman’s Club, a non-profit organization that provides a number of different volunteer services.
After retiring in 2016, Shirley discovered New Haven Reads. She wanted to be involved in tutoring younger students who may be struggling or not particularly fond of reading. When asked what keeps her coming back to New Haven Reads, she responded, “Many things… I think the staff is exceptional. Especially in the past year and a half I’ve seen their dedication and commitment to continuing the program and continuing to work with students and their parents.”
One of Shirley’s all time favorite books is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and as a child it was the Anne of Green Gables series by Maud Montgomery. She also mentioned that when she used to babysit, she read Where the Wild Things Are multiple times and enjoyed doing so.
Shirley described a memorable and rewarding experience she recently had during a Zoom session. Her and the student were reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid, typically taking turns every other page. Until one day the student who was once somewhat reluctant to read said, “I want to read.”
Kristy White started tutoring at the Science Park site in May of 2021. She is a high school girl’s tennis coach, and describes herself as a huge health and wellness geek. She discovered New Haven Reads when a friend of hers – a NHR tutor – forwarded her an email about summer internships that she thought Kristy’s teenager would be interested in. As she did a bit more research into the organization, Kristy was inspired to explore new volunteer opportunities. When asked what keeps her coming back to NHR she responded with, “No question, the kids keep me coming back. And I might secretly enjoy reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books along with my students.” (Don’t we all!) Kristy also stated, “What I love most about volunteering at NHR, is the mentor-like relationship. I am not their mom or teacher – just another trusted adult who shows up for them.”
Kristy’s favorite books as a child were all of the Beverly Cleary, Nancy Drew, and Little House on the Prairie books. One of her all time favorites is Little Women.
Kristy shared an honest experience she had with a high school student of hers. He was reading different history pieces each week and sometimes wouldn’t know what a word meant. Kristy was stumped with trying to define it, so she took to Google. She emphasized that she will never pretend to have all answers, and that she is always learning too.
Bonding Through Books is a new partnership with Department of Children and Families (DCF) Milford Area Office and New Haven Reads! Together, we are creating a library of children’s books in the DCF office for their clients. The office already had a small underutilized book collection that was in need of an update and lots of new books.
Before the makeover! DCF Milford AO Library
Today – the Bonding Through Books Book Bank
Randy, a social worker in the Milford office, contacted NHR about creating a book bank that would allow children and families to take books to help create home libraries, be given to children who were awaiting placement, and to be used to help parents and children bond during visits. Once he contacted our Book Bank Director Victoria, the idea took form. Victoria even suggested using the same bookshelves that we also use at our NHR Book Bank. Once the area was set up, New Haven Reads supplied 600 books to set up the new library!
Randy said of new book bank “One of the goals of visits here in the office is to maintain and grow the child and parent bond. What better way to do that than to look for and read books together?” Randy told us the other reason the book bank is so important is “when a child is removed from their home, they sometimes have to spend time at our office before being placed in foster care. This book bank will be a place to pick something out that is theirs and they can take with them.” Randy has witnessed families reading together, specifically a grandfather and his 6 month old grandson sharing a book on colors. “It proved why this book bank was so important. Watching them read together was amazing!”
Delivering books to a family
New Haven Reads is excited to be partnering with the DCF Milford Area Office for this initiative and will be sending over another book order to top up the shelves soon. We hope to be able to grow this initiative with other offices!
Barbara Ross has been volunteering at the Book Bank on Bristol Street for four years. Back in 2017 she began the process of looking for volunteer work, and soon after was referred to NHR by a friend who is involved with the organization. She was given weekly shifts at the Book Bank, and once she became comfortable she fell in love with the position. The staff at Bristol is what keeps her coming back, as they are so inviting and nice to her. She feels it is wonderful that anyone can come and get free books. “Every time I open a box of donated books, it’s like opening a treasure chest- you don’t know what kind of gems you will find! My favorite activity is putting together book orders for different organizations.” Barbara enjoys reading immensely and being able to share that with others around her.
Jan has been volunteering at the Dixwell site in early 2020. She began working with students just prior to the pandemic. It was a new experience for her and the students, but she has continued to tutor throughout distance learning. One reason she wanted to volunteer at NHR is the importance of literacy. “Literacy is essential to navigate comfortably through in every aspect of life for native speakers of English and non-native English speakers.” About a year ago she began teaching ESOL to adult students in addition to working with children in NHR. What keeps her coming back is the students, who she describes as a joy to work with. Since the pandemic she feels there is an importance to make up for that lost time from school. “It is a wonderful experience to help them discover their strengths and celebrate their wins.”
Sarah has been volunteering at the Dixwell site for since September 2020. Sarah started volunteering because she wanted to give back to her new community after moving here in 2019. She loves being involved and has always had a passion for helping others learn, having previously worked as a substitute teacher. “NHR appealed to me more than other tutoring programs as it was clear that tutors were able to form a meaningful relationship with students, one that resembles more of a mentorship than simply a tutoring session. I could tell immediately that the other volunteers were proud of their work and were making a difference and I wanted to also be a part of that,” she explains.
Sarah enjoys seeing the immense growth in her student and their excitement to read and learn. “I know I am helping to make a difference in the youth of my community and I think that helping to further education is one of the best volunteer pursuits one can take on.”
Our volunteers continue to be the heart and soul of New Haven Reads. NHR tutors currently tutor a total of 454 hours with 279 students each week! Their impact is immeasurable. Enjoy this video of students expressing how much their tutors mean to them. Their smiles speak volumes!
