Stories, Free Books Inspire YMCA Kids to Read This Summer

Children served by the YMCA of Greater Nashua were treated to a storytelling presentation from Simon Brooks and brand-new books to keep, thanks to a grant from the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF).

Storyteller Simon Brooks from New London led an interactive presentation for 100 children. Simon is known for the extraordinary voices he uses in storytelling and which are also featured in his voice acting for commercials and audio books.

At the end of the presentation, each child selected two new books to keep from hundreds of titles.

CLiF awards Summer Readers grants to organizations serving kids at high risk of experiencing a “summer slide” in literacy skills. The partnership between the Y and CLiF reached young readers who are at greatest risk, according to a press statement.

Research shows that children who don’t read over summer vacation tend to lose literacy skills while children who do read improve their reading abilities. Low-income children and youth often experience greater summer learning losses than their higher-income peers.

“We are so thankful to the Children’s Literacy Foundation for their generous support of our efforts to keep children focused on learning during the summer months. Our kids were thrilled to each choose two books to take home and add to their home libraries,” said Elizabeth Covino, director of community relations.

The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The YMCA of Greater Nashua facilities engage over 30,000 men, women and children annually – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. For more information about the Y visit nmymca.org.

CLiF is an independent non-profit organization founded in 1998. Its mission is to nurture a love of reading and writing among low-income, at-risk, and rural children in New Hampshire and Vermont. Over 17 years CLiF has inspired more than 175,000 young readers and writers through literacy program grants and has given away more than $3.5 million in new, high-quality children’s books. For more information visit clifonline.org or email clif@clifonline.org.