For the past several weeks, AmeriCorps worker Erica Taylor has provided Bookmobile material to a woman who hopes to teach herself to read.
While Taylor, who provides the services for Bradford Area School District, primarily loans books to children in the community, the Bookmobile is open to all individuals who want to borrow reading material.
On Monday from noon to 1 p.m., Taylor was found distributing books near the corner of Chautauqua Place and Bushnell Street in front of the Church of the Ascension playground. She also loans books during the same time Tuesdays and Fridays at Callahan Park off Interstate Parkway; Wednesdays at the Foster Brook Park off Derrick Road; and Thursdays at Hanley Park off Davis Street. The Bookmobile will continue through the end of July.
Sarah Tingley, principal of School Street Elementary School, said the Bookmobile van is located at her campus and travels to each of the parks daily. Books are loaned to children and adults after contact information is obtained. The books are asked to be returned the following week when the Bookmobile is at one of the park locations. The books are geared for young children through middle school adolescents.
“She’s doing her service hours through AmeriCorps,” Tingley said of Taylor who will use the educational stipend provided by AmeriCorps to attend college. Taylor said she hopes to be a reading specialist in the future. AmeriCorps is described as a civil society program supported by the U.S. federal government, foundations, corporations and other donors. The program engages adults in public service work with a goal of “helping others and meeting critical needs in the community.”
Tingley said school librarians at School Street, George G. Blaisdell Elementary School and Floyd C. Fretz Middle School send books from their library for Taylor to circulate and use.
Taylor said she has received a good response from young and old readers alike. Some have even visited the Bookmobile in the rain under the cover of umbrellas.
Taylor said a touching situation at one of her stops involves a younger woman who is unable to read, but hopes the children’s literature will help her master the skill one day.
“She said she was in special education classes and she’s just now trying to teach herself how to read,” Taylor said of the woman. “She didn’t learn as well (as she’d hoped she would) in school.
“She is sweet — she took two books out last time and brought them back last week,” Taylor continued. “She took two more books last time. She’s excited, she likes it and enjoys it.”
During Taylor’s stop at the corner of Chautauqua Place and Bushnell Street, a few children from the playground came out to see what books were available.
Two of the children, Katlyn and Kelsi Kramer were with their mother, Pattiann, who helped them pick out books.
“Get some books and Mom will read them to you tonight,” Pattiann Kramer said to her daughters.
“I want to find ‘Amelia Bedelia,’” Katlyn said of her favorite book before grabbing a couple of books and running to the playground.
