The Columbia College Sertoma Club gave their time and efforts to benefit the Reach Out and Read program here at Palmetto Health this fall with a school-wide book drive. The drive, organized by Sertoma Club president Lindsey Brown and Service Project Coordinator Carolina Pittard (both juniors at Columbia College), was open to everyone on campus. The Sertoma club motto is “Service to Mankind,” and in the spirit of this motto, the group donated books to the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital Outpatient Clinic. The gently used books will be given to children who come through the clinic of all ages. Most Sertoma Club members at the Columbia College chapter are Speech Pathology majors, and wanted to spend their time contributing to a worthy literacy program, and Reach Out and Read was a good fit! THANK YOU to the Sertoma Club for their time and energy! If you are interested in making Reach Out and Read a service project, contact the state office at 1-877-367-8839.
The end of September marked the 5th Birthday of the Reach Out and Read Coalition in South Carolina. ROR advocates from across the state came together to celebrate the Coalition’s success and look together towards the future. The celebrating was kicked-off with the ROR-SC Founders Cocktail Party on Thursday, September 25th. At the party, member of the original committee who brought ROR to SC came together with site coordinators, medical leadership, community partners, funders, volunteers, and legislators to enjoy the evening celebrating the strides ROR-SC is making for the children of South Carolina.
The following day, ROR-SC had the honor of hosting Dr. Robert Needlman, founder of the national Reach Out and Read program, for a Pediatric Grand Rounds at Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia . Doctors, residents, health care providers, and site coordinators from across South Carolina came together to enjoy the wisdom and leadership Dr. Needlman offers to the program. The Grand Rounds was followed by a ROR-SC 5th Birthday Party at the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital Outpatient Center, a model ROR site in Richland County. At this party, Dr. Neeldman read to children in the waiting area, and all children joined Coalition members in singing Happy Birthday and sharing Birthday Cake, generously donated by local Kroger stores. In addition, the children were given a birthday gift from the ROR-SC Coalition. The books given were part of a generous donation from Candlewick Publishers.
The day concluded with a Train the Trainer session, a time where Dr. Needlman and Jackie Miller from the ROR National Center trained the first six trainers for the ROR-SC Coalition. The state trainers are all doctors and nurses from different ROR sites across the state, and will travel to train new ROR sites to use the program model.
The Birthday Celebration was a great success and a wonderful time to recognize those who have worked so hard to make the Coalition what it is today. We are grateful for all the ROR advocates who continue to give their valuable time and energies to the Coalition, and are excited to see the next five years of growth!
On August 13th, 2003, Reach Out and Read-South Carolina celebrated pediatric literacy with one of the programs most inspiring supporters, Congressman John Spratt. Congressman Spratt has been key in leading the charge not only on the local level, but has provided essential support and leadership for the program on the National level. South Carolina is luck to have such an advocate in Washington, and Congressman Spratt’s efforts are greatly appreciated!
The Congressman joined us at Lowry’s Family Medicine in Chester, South Carolina and read to a large and excited group of children in the clinic. Together, they enjoyed Reach Out and Read favorites such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Where the Wild Things Are. The children were enchanted with the books and with their special guest reader, and presented Congressman Spratt with a Reach Out and Read hat and bag upon his completion of the reading time.
After the reading, Dr. Sam Stone, medical director of the site, took Congressman Spratt on a tour of the site, demonstrating how the ROR program model is integrated into the well-child check-up.
The reading was a wonderful time to share the program with the Congressman in his local district, and was the perfect way for us all to say THANK YOU for the continued support and leadership Congressman Spratt always shows for Reach Out and Read. MANY THANKS FROM SOUTH CAROLINA, Congressman Spratt! We are proud of you and thankful for you!
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Gresham Barrett read with children at Easley Pediatrics in Easley, SC and then traveled to Anderson to share books with children at An Med Children's Center. We cannot thank the clinics enough for their cooperation with this event. The Congressman read with children in the waiting area of each clinic, and then received a site tour from the medical director or each site, learning how ROR works in the pediatric setting to get books and literacy education to children and parents. Congressman Brown traveled to MUSC Pediatric Primary Care in Charleston, SC to read with children there. Both visits were met with media attention, and important community guests, all learning together about ROR and celebrating the important of pediatric literacy.
In Columbia, Congressman James Clyburn read with children at Sterling Sharpe Pediatrics in Eau Clair, highlighting the work that is being done in that clinic to get books to as many children as possible. Then Governor Mark Sanford read with children at the Palmetto Health Children's Hospital Outpatient Clinic.
Each guest reader received a ROR hat and a Dr. Suess "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" tie as a special thanks for being a part of the First Annual Reach Out and Read Across South Carolina Day. In addition, we had two special guests from the ROR National Center. Kelly Taranto and Matt Veno from Boston came down to meet with the guests and help us make the event a success. I want to thank all the people who helped with this event. All the site coordinators, medical directors, medical staff at the clinics, regional coordinators, and all others involved for their great help and hard work as we celebrated. We look forward to making this an annual event, and sharing the program and its growth with guest readers each year.