PA Key Club Leaders surprise Kingston Head Start kids with new books
PA Key Club member Alexandra Jacobs, 17, reads ‘Square Cat’ by Elizabeth Schoonmaker to kids at Head Start on Thursday. Lilyana Uzialko, 17, a fellow key club member sits next to her.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
Local key club members brought free books to pass out to children at Head Start on Thursday.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
Jayleen de la Cruz, 4, takes a peek inside her new book.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
Local key club members, teachers, and students at Head Start pose for a photo Thursday.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
Maksym Sharkadi, 4, cradles a copy of ‘Square Cat’ by Elizabeth Schoonmaker.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
KINGSTON — Pennsylvania Key Club District Governor and Wyoming Area High School student Alexandra Jacobs remembers the joy she felt when she first held her very own book in her hands.
On Thursday, Jacobs, along with fellow Key Club member Lilyana Uzialko, passed that joy on to others when they surprised 32 Head Start children, ages 3 to 5, with free copies of “Square Cat” by Elizabeth Schoonmaker.
The event at Church of Christ Uniting in Kingston served as the official kickoff of the third annual statewide initiative to end book deserts for disadvantaged preschoolers.
This year, Head Start partnered with The LiTEArary Society, an entirely youth-led, nationally recognized nonprofit with a mission to provide new books for children in need.
Members of the Pa. Key Club, like Uzialko and Jacobs, have been working with The LiTEArary Society on this mission for the last three years.
“Helping children get access to books is such a great feeling. Being able to give these kids that is amazing,” said Jacobs.
Uzialko, a student at Wilkes-Barre Area, echoed that sentiment and said she was “so excited” to see the kids with their books.
For Head Start Executive Director Beth White, language and literacy are a top priority for students. Getting books into their homes so families can continue reading to them is a huge part of their education and development.
“Having individuals, especially high school students, come in to read stories to our children; they love when visitors come in. That connection to Head Start and the community is extremely important as well,” she said.
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