Cherry Hill's Bookmates Makes Storytime Possible For All Children

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Story time can be a magical moment shared between parents and children, but many children never have the chance to hear a bedtime story.

Cherry Hill-based BookMates works to change that reality for many children in South Jersey. BookMates provides reading sessions with children in low- and moderate-income communities, according to its website.

“We provide weekly one-to-one reading sessions with an adult volunteer,” the nonprofit says on its website. “Many of these children that are chosen are rarely read to at home and benefit greatly from the volunteers' individualized attention.”

Through this practice, the volunteers expose children to a variety of books and work to expand the child's vocabulary, improve their comprehension skills, and motivate them to read, according to the website.

The program, run by the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey, not only benefits the 600 students in kindergarten through second grade that participate annually; the group says the volunteers are often retirees who enjoy the chance to make a difference in a child’s life.

Anyone who might be in need of help can email help@jfedsnj.org or call 856-673-2554. Visit https://jcrcsnj.org/bookmates to register or make a donation. To volunteer, email BookMates Director Rhonda Shevrin at bookmates@jfedsnj.org.

This story is part of Patch's Headlining Hope series, which profiles local nonprofits and charitable organizations in need of volunteers and resources. If you know of a local organization that should be profiled, contact Anthony.Bellano@patch.com.