Thursday Morning Club Supports Reach Out and Read

The Thursday Morning Club under the direction of Home Life is supporting Reach Out and Read, specifically at Zufall Health Center in Morristown. Reach Out and Read or ROR is a program that encourages and enables parents to read to their children soon after birth through age 5. At regular well pediatric check-ups, parents learn about the importance of reading aloud to their children every day, and parents are provided with a book to take home and keep. This pairing between pediatricians and parents works to ensure that children are instilled with a love of reading as well as a home library of their own and promotes early literacy skills so children enter school prepared to succeed. In New Jersey, approximately 65,000 children and their families are being served at 81 locations throughout the state. Across the country, 4 million children are served in all 50 states.

The Thursday Morning Club is collecting books for young children – chunky cardboard books for babies and picture books for preschool children. Among its members the Thursday Morning Club has already collected and donated almost 200 books to Zufall Health Center in Morristown. The donated books don’t have to be new, but the books should be in good condition. New books are always welcome!

If you are interested in helping the Thursday Morning Club with this invaluable project, you can drop off new or gently used books in a collection bin located outside the Community House office during business hours. If you need additional information, please call Susan Fleming at 973-377-4670.

Pictured from left are Susan Fleming, Thursday Morning Club Chairman of the project, Christine Emanuel,Eliana Callejas, Swati Rana, Melissa Olsakowski, Kim Byan, Community HealthCorps AmeriCorps Membersand Kim Byam, State Director of Reach Out and Read