Oakland University’s Student Michigan Education Association (SMEA) is stepping out into the community this spring to raise awareness and support early childhood literacy by “adopting” a local pediatric and family clinic. The group plans to donate their time and care, along with books and supplies.
On Saturday, March 31, SMEA members will join forces with Beaumont Medical Center in Sterling Heights at the Family Medicine Center’s Reach Out And Read (ROAR) clinic located in the medical center at Beaumont Hospital’s Troy Campus to completely revamp the space with new paint, furniture, shelves and hand-painted murals, working to create a welcoming and engaging atmosphere for children.
“This project is a great way to give back to other members of our community, and most importantly, our future students,” said Sarah Bruha, SMEA president. “We are so excited to get books in the hands of children and to encourage them to read and succeed.”
Project coordinators anticipate more than 60 volunteers will participate in the “adoption,” working to improve and enrich the clinic’s space, and to organize all of the books and donations they have collected.
Designed to make reading a lifelong family experience, the ROAR clinic hopes to prepare America’s youngest children - from newborns to five year olds - to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage parents and children to read together and develop positive reading habits.
Additionally, children in the program will enter kindergarten with skills that will better prepare them to succeed, along with a home library of ten brand-new children’s books and highly-engaged parents.
The student group will return to the clinic on Saturday, April 21, to host a Community Open House, complete with a read-aloud book session, crafts and activities for children in the surrounding community.
Boasting more than 120 members, SMEA at OU is an organization dedicated to help future elementary and secondary school teachers prepare for careers as educators.
SMEA’s engagement in the ROAR program is supported by grants from the National Education Association and Michigan Education Association, as well as from the Community Learning through America’s School System (CLASS) program.
For more information or to donate new or gently used books to the Family Medicine Center, contact Bruha at skbruha@oakland.edu.
OU students and community members will support childhood literacy by “adopting” a Reach Out And Read clinic at Beaumont Medical Center on March 31.
Created by Katherine Land - Deleted (land@oakland.edu) on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Modified by Katherine Land - Deleted (land@oakland.edu) on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 Article Start Date: Tuesday, March 27, 2012
