If you want to share the love of reading and have an hour a week to devout to a worthy cause then Read Aloud Baldwin wants you! The program, now in its third year, is aimed at young children who attend the two Boys and Girls Clubs and the three Head Start programs in Baldwin County. Headed by Educational Coordinator Sallie Smith, RAB is actively recruiting volunteers to read at the Crossroads Head Start in Bay Minette.

Smith is very passionate about the program and started RAB after seeing how well the state-wide initiative worked in Delaware, where she lived for a number of years. Based out of the St. James Episcopal Church in Fairhope, the program runs throughout the school year September to May in the county’s three Head Start programs and runs year round at the Fairhope Point Clear Rotary Boys and Girls Club and the Ruff Wilson Youth Center in Daphne. More sites will be added as the program expands. The RAB Mission is “to share the joy of reading and connect with the children in Baldwin County.”

Participation requirements include “a desire to make a difference in the lives of children” and availability and the drive to give one hour of your time per week to making that difference. There is a screening process to ensure the children’s safety. All the training needed to become a Read Aloud Baldwin reader will be provided. There is a large selection of books to choose from to read on a one-on-one basis with the children.

If you are interested in volunteering, volunteer forms are available at the Bay Minette Public Library. The volunteer form along with a Certificate of Background Check Verification can either be mailed to Smith at 22475 Sea Cliff Drive, Fairhope, Alabama, 36532 or dropped off at the office of St. James Episcopal Church. The background check paperwork should be completed online at backgroundcheck.com. Once all of this paperwork is received, Smith will contact you to get you lined up to read. All of this important information is listed in the Read Aloud Baldwin volunteer form. If you have any questions, please call Smith at 928-8005.

According to On Becoming a Nation of Readers: the Report of the Commission on Reading, “the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children – even when they are very young.” That sentence should be changed to say “especially when they are very young.” Numerous studies have shown the importance of reading to toddlers and preschool aged children. It has a tremendous impact on their future reading skills and habits as well as overall academic success. The skills obtained include active listening, speech patterns, vocabulary and comprehension.

Also, reading to a child will help them grow in their comfort level with the reader. If you know of anyone who would like to participate, please help spread the word! You or someone you know can help change the life of a child and in the process change your own as well. Because when you read to a child, you enrich their world and make your own special mark on it. What could be better than that?

Joanna Bailey is the director of the Bay Minette Public Library. She can be reached at baileyvolumes@gmail.com