Have you thought lately about the many ways public safety
professionals impact their communities beyond performance of their typical
duties? One example is provided by some of the uniformed men and women of
Fulton County Fire Rescue Department, who participate in the “Reading Buddies”
program at Stonewall Tell Elementary School. Firefighters of the A, B, and C
shifts at Fire Station #3 have regularly given of their time and energy over
the past four years in support of this program.
Given the importance of early reading skills for success
in school and life-long learning in general, public safety members are uniquely
positioned to lend support to local school curriculums by capitalizing on their
influence to positively impact young readers. Captain James Luster says his
experience as a Reading Buddy makes him feel as though he is a part of the
solution versus being a part of the problem, and that we should all want to
invest in our future, which are the children.
The Reading Buddies program is designed to target 2nd
grade readers who might benefit most from supplemental attention. As part of
the classroom curriculum, teachers designate students for participation and
volunteers sit with them each week for 30 minutes to actively listen.
“I truly believe in the saying 'it takes a village' and
often reflect on the value of the adults who mentored me and how a lot of
the things they taught me, I continue to apply today,” says Captain Luster. “As
a Reading Buddy, it’s nice to see that light bulb come on when they are able to
pronounce words that they were not able to before.”
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