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The highlight of the year is Read Aloud Day, which took place last week. Hundreds of readers, including dignitaries such as U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, descend upon every school in the city.
City of Bridgeport employee Cory Bromley gushed about her experience shortly after her task was done.
“I just finished reading to a fifth-grade class for Read Aloud day. What a great experience and what a wonderful class at Six-to-Six in Bridgeport,” she said.
The program has been a tremendous success, and the large number of volunteers during the school year bears that out.
Joyce Goodwin is the reading enrichment coordinator for the School Volunteer Association of Bridgeport. She says there are more than 550 readers in the School Volunteer Association system.
“SVA has been fortunate to have a variety of volunteers ranging from caring people living in the greater Bridgeport community to employees of area businesses as well as authors of children’s books and clowns from Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus join us in sending messages about the joy and value that reading can provide,” Goodwin said.
The program is successful and one of the main reasons is the positive experience for both students and volunteers, she said.
“I read to a third-grade class at Bryant School in the West End. I’ve been a reader for over a dozen years and I’m always impressed with the kid’s enthusiasm and walk out of the school with a good feeling," one volunteer said. "But this time it was unique. I was in downtown Bridgeport and a little girl kept staring at me. Her father was wondering why. Finally she said, ‘Daddy! Daddy! That’s the man who reads to our class. He’s just like Santa Claus.’ And that’s what it’s all about.”
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