Local society partners with Lodi Memorial Hospital Foundation to promote early reading
The Theta Rho chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society has partnered with the Lodi Memorial Hospital Foundation for their “Books for Babes” literacy project, and members of the society delivered almost 200 books to be distributed to newborns at Lodi Memorial on Monday afternoon.
As part of the project, newborns are provided with their first books in an effort to encourage reading between parent and child. The goal is to make sure every newborn is provided with a book, and the Theta Rho Chapter delivers book donations to the hospital monthly or as the hospital runs out of books. Each book is included in a packet with information on the importance of reading to children. Packets come in both Spanish and English.
“This is the basic developmental beginning for reading and writing and for a good education — to give children the early language when we speak to them, read to them and when we sing to them,” said Sheila Dunn, Theta Rho chapter secretary and a Books for Babes committee member.
“I think it’s important that parents read to their children as soon as possible and keep reading.”
According to Dunn, the Theta Rho Chapter has been providing books to babies at Lodi Memorial for at least 16 years, and this was their first donation of books in partnership with the Lodi Memorial Foundation.
“This is just a community project that our society has decided that would be fitting since we’re all teachers, and we’re all committed to literacy and early literacy is the key to the whole scheme of literacy,” Theta Rho chapter president Laura Todd said. “So we thought by giving a book to each baby that left the hospital, that would be the beginning
of the literacy cycle.”
Up until recently, Theta Rho members purchased books for the donation on their own, but with a decline in membership and some members retiring from their jobs as teachers they weren’t able to generate as many books as they have in the past. After Todd became president, the society reached out to the local rotary club for help with the project, and they referred the society to the Lodi Memorial Hospital Foundation.
The foundation donated $500 to “Books for Babes” in addition to matching donations received for “Books for Babes” up to $1,000. From this the chapter was able to garner $2,500 for “Books for Babes,” enough to supply a year’s
worth of books.
“They’ve been loyal to this hospital for many, many years and their membership has been declining so they needed some funding support,” Lodi Memorial Hospital Foundation President and CEO Wayne Craig said. “That’s what the foundation is here for, to support programs that help the hospital out and this program is so good for the maternity program. We thought that this was a no-brainer so we decided to partner with them.”
The Delta Kappa Gamma Society is an honorary international society of women educators. Those in membership are either working as teachers or are retired educators.