Lynne Waihee provided the welcome and spoke about the passion and power of “Hawaiians” – and by that, she said, she meant anyone who lives in, lived in, or loves Hawaii – as she recreated the exciting journey that led Hawaii from 45th to first place in a matter of weeks to win 50,000 children’s books. She also spoke about the wonderful gift these books will be to the Mizuno speaks at the First Book event children of Hawaii, and how important it is that they are used to create a love for reading in all of the keiki lucky enough to be affected by them.
Pat Mizuno, who works with four of Read To Me’s local prison literacy projects and oversees and teaches for the award-winning “Fathers Bridging the Miles” program with incarcerated Hawaii fathers in Arizona, was accompanied by four program participants, who sat in the front row. They applauded heartily when she said how fortunate the Read To Me programs were to receive books from a previous First Book grant for its local programs.
Mizuno also introduced a mother, a recent RTM prison-literacy graduate, who gave birth several months early while still in the program. An inmate at the time and thus separated from her baby, who weighed barely over a pound, she recorded a book onto a CD with the Read To Me program, and the nurses played it for the baby, who was in an incubator. Though the child passed away after only a few months, it was a comfort to the mother to know that she was able to make a connection with her child that would last forever, Mizuno said.
Mizuno closed by speaking of the effect that reading aloud has on children, no matter the distance: “I’ve seen the report card of a child of a father in the project,” she said, “that said, ‘I don’t know what you did, but this child now loves to read.’”
After the speakers, there were music and hula with Na Hoku Hanohano winner Uluwehi Guerrero. Wally Amos, Read To Me board member and founder of Read It Aloud!, concluded the event with storytime for youngsters from HCAP’s Dole Head Start.
Lynne Waihee, Read To Me International’s President and Pat Mizuno, Program Director spoke at a First Book-Oahu event at the Hawaii State Library on Thursday, March 25th in celebration of the 50,000 books