Some college students may take for granted both the ability to read and the availability of reading material.For a group of children who gathered at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum Saturday morning, the chance to read provided a window of opportunity to learn.
TCU Reading Frogs, a community service program that teaches elementary children to read, sponsored Saturday’s “Fall in Love with Reading” event for elementary students from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, said Ernie Horn, executive director of Score a Goal in the Classroom.
The only reading material some of these children have in their homes is a phone book, Horn said, and this proves how important it is to teach these children how to read.
There are 39 school districts in Dallas and Forth Worth that participate in this event, which caters to elementary students ages four to 11, Horn said.
Jacob Silva, a Western Hills elementary student, said he is a “Goosebumps” fan and that he came to the event to become a better reader.
Studies show that events like “Fall in Love with Reading” encourage children and parents to read together and create a passion for reading, Horn said.
Jacob’s mother Susan Silva said, “I brought my children to this event because I want them to enjoy reading instead of staying at home and playing video games all day.”
The Reading Frogs program started five years ago when Score a Goal in the Classroom, a program which aims to spread literacy to elementary students, collaborated with TCU to create an event that encourages children to “Fall in Love with Reading,” Horn said.
Morgan Matlock, Miss Texas 2005, was the special guest at the Reading Frogs event.
“The children coming out here on a Saturday morning shows their level of gravitation toward literacy, Matlock said.
The Reading Frogs program consists of TCU athletes and students who want to volunteer for this non-profit literacy organization.
Stacey Bieber, a junior entrepreneurial management major and member of the women’s golf team, said “Reading Frogs means a lot to the children because we serve as role models to them since we are athletes and it is nice for them to meet older people.
