NICOLE ALBERTSON
News Assistant
Jumpstart’s Read for the Record, one of Pepperdine’s largest charity programs, set a new world record last Thursday – for the second year in a row – when hundreds of thousands of children and adults read the same book at the same time. The campaign raised more than $1 million while also raising awareness on child illiteracy. The previous record for the largest shared reading experience was set by Jumpstart on August 24, 2006 at 150,000 people.
The Jumpstart campaign coordinated reading events in more than 1,900 different cities throughout the United States, including Los Angeles, New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago, to read “The Story of Ferdinand,” by Munro Leaf.
“Jumpstart [used] the one–day event to include people who normally would not be able to participate,” said Jumpstart Coordinator Lindsay Lockman. “Reading for the Record allows people to become involved with Jumpstart as well as inform people about the importance of early childhood education.”
The Pearson Foundation, Jumpstart’s co-sponsor, “underwrote all publishing costs, making it possible for Jumpstart to receive 100 percent of the money raised through the sale of special edition books,” according to the Jumpstart Web site. Pearson Foundation also matched each book donation made online with the donation of another book and will deliver the books to at-risk communities.
Junior Michelle Howell, a Jumpstart team leader, volunteered at the Los Angeles event that catered to more than 150 children. The L.A. event included a book reading by actress Gabriel Union, a play acting out the book, learning stations and activity stations-, face painting, making puppets and flowers, and decorating flags.
“The volunteers help guide the children around the event and help them with all of the different booths,” Howell said. “It was really great for the kids because they got to have the story acted out in a play for them.”
Pepperdine brought 100 children between 2 and 5 years old from the Westside Children Center in Culver City to the Hyatt Hotel in Century City for the organized group reading. Every child from the Westside Children’s Center will receive a book as well as students in all of the 16 preschool classrooms at the children’s center.
The national count of participants had not been calculated and released.
The event drew in big names like First Lady Laura Bush, actress Gabriel Union, rapper LL Cool J, news anchors Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira, singer Wyclef Jean and actress Mariska Hargitay.
But Howell and Lockman were the only representatives for Pepperdine University at Read for the Record.
“This was our first year to be a part of the event, so a lot of students didn’t know about it,” Lockman said. “The event also required students to take a lot of time [from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.] that I don’t think they have. Next year the national program is going to try to push the event back to when more students are in school that way more students will be able to get involved.”
Jumpstart is considered the nation’s premier early education nonprofit organization. After its creation in 1993 at Yale University, the program has grown to include 3,500 college students in service of more than 13,000 children in 20 states and 67 communities across the country, according to the Jumpstart Web site.
Pepperdine’s Jumpstart program includes 100 Americore members that dedicate eight hours a week to the children’s center. The students will begin working at the Westside Children’s Center the second week in October.
“By the end [of the program] everyone always realizes how great the program is and all of the benefits for the children that are coming from it,” Howell said. “It is amazing to see the progress that the children make. The kids are what bring me back to the program.”
With a packed schedule of events coming up for the children, all going toward benefiting children’s literacy, Howell is preparing to reach their goal for the year.
“We want to be made up of at least 110 members and to make as big a difference as we possibly can,” Howell said.
09-27-2007
