WEYBURN – The “Read to Me and I’ll Read to You” in Ogema received a Saskatchewan Literacy Award of Merit from Lieutenant-Governor Russ Mirasty on May 14 at Government House in Regina, with Donna Hartley accepting the award.
She was nominated by Carmen Ocampo, who was present at the awards ceremony.
The Ogema Branch of the Southeast Regional Library has been a hub of intergenerational activities among the 400 residents of the Town of Ogema. Many newcomers to the area come to work in local industry and, with young families, many of the children do not have grandparents in Canada.
Donna Hartley worked for 29 years at Ogema School as Librarian and Special Needs and Educational Assistant. She read to and helped choose reading materials with children, assisting their learning to read for school success.
Combining her knowledge and passion with the region’s mission to provide the resources and experiences that foster a lifetime of imagination, discovery, and possibilities, Donna created “Read to Me and I’ll Read to You.”
“Read to Me and I’ll Read to You” is a 10-week program with 50-minute events each week where participating seniors read books with the Grades 3 and 4 students from Ogema School.
Donna carefully recruited and matched seniors with their one-to-one ‘buddy’, ensuring a successful partnership. The seniors and students shared artwork, crafts, or storytelling using the books they read together.
The relationships built and strengthened during the reading program proved very valuable both to the participating students and volunteer seniors. The books the program provided to seniors to give to their buddies help encourage this love of reading beyond the program.
