Team Edwards seeks volunteers for Read Across America programs Published Feb. 14, 2012 By Laura Mowry Staff Writer EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Team Edwards will honor Dr. Seuss' birthday by participating in the National Education Association's Read Across America, beginning March 2, by participating in a host of reading based activities both on base and within the local community. Volunteers are needed for events at the Children's Library, Branch Elementary School, and Quail Valley Elementary School in Palmdale, Calif. The Children's Library, located in Bldg. 7210 will celebrate Read Across America by incorporating Dr. Seuss into their regularly scheduled book reading on March 2. The readings are open to preschoolers and are held every Monday and Friday, beginning at 10 a.m. "We are very excited about Read Across America, it is an event we hold every year," said the Base Library director, Alison Vasquez. Also accompanying the book readings is an age-appropriate arts and crafts project for participants. "We will select three or four Dr. Seuss books to be read and then the children will have the opportunity to participate in a craft project to match the book. For example, if 'The Cat in the Hat' is one of the selected readings, children will have the opportunity to make the hat during the craft session," Vasquez said. Although the Children's Library reading session is only available to preschoolers, there are programs at Branch Elementary School targeting children in kindergarten through sixth grade. Branch Elementary School honors the birthday of Dr. Seuss through their annual Read-A-Thon event that kicks off Feb. 27. For 25 days, students will be challenged to collectively read more than 500,000 minutes. At the end of the Read-A-Thon, more than 130 prizes will be awarded to Branch Elementary School's top readers. "Our goal is to make reading fun and get everyone reading. We really want everyone to catch the reading bug," said the president of Branch Elementary School's Parent Teacher Organization, Alexia Svejda. In addition to the Read-A-Thon, Branch Elementary School will participate in the annual Read Across America on March 2. "With 33 classrooms at Branch Elementary, we are looking for more than 60 volunteers to read and participate in the Read Across America event," said Svejda. Master Sgt. Lawrence Armstrong, bomber logistics manager, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Det. 5, understands the importance of motivating children to read. Originally volunteering at Branch Elementary School, he will be participating in his third year of Read Across America. "For me, this program is about so much more than just reading books to students," said Armstrong. "It is about spending time with children and talking with them about why reading is so important, and how that translates into real-life success." Since reading to students at Branch Elementary School, Armstrong began volunteering in the local community at Quail Valley Elementary School. This will be his second year reading at the Palmdale elementary school. "I really enjoy making the characters come to life in the stories. It's extremely rewarding to see the students become engrossed in the stories," said Armstrong. Although he enjoys the experience of reading to elementary school students, for Armstrong, what matters most is the time spent talking with them and telling the Air Force story. "It's incredible just how interested the students become in the Air Force. They really enjoy hearing stories about what I do for a living and the aircraft I work with," Armstrong said. Taking the time to talk with students about the real-life impacts of reading aligns with the focus of Quail Valley's annual program to honor Dr. Seuss' birthday, "Readers Grow Up to be Leaders." This year's event will take place on March 7. "No matter what we are talking about during the question and answer session, I always try to circle back to why reading is so important. I want them to understand that if they continue applying themselves, they will be successful in life," said Armstrong. For more information about volunteering at Quail Valley Elementary School, please contact Sergeant Armstrong at 275-0758. For more information about volunteering at Branch Elementary School, please contact Sandi Dempsey at 277-0439. For more information about volunteer opportunities with the Children's Library, please call 275-BOOK.