Now read this: Here’s the perfect holiday gift

For this newspaperman, I can’t think of a better gift to give this

year than the power to read.

That is unless you are my daughter Danielle, who is certain Santa

is going to give her a puppy.

But if in fact you want to help a young child learn the magic of

the written word, let me tell you about some local efforts by the

Sunrise Rotary Club, this newspaper and the Los Angeles Times’

popular Reading by Nine program. Through this collaborative effort,

Newport-Mesa residents can help students in three local elementary

school, Whittier, Pomona and Wilson, as volunteers or by donating

cash that will be used to purchase books.

More on that in a minute.

I wanted to make sure that if I pitched something like this to our

readers, they could be assured their time and money were being used

wisely.

So I gave a call to Sarah Cook, the Reading by Nine coordinator at

Whittier Elementary, to see what she thought of the program and

whether students’ reading skills improve because it.

“We have various ways of assessing our children to determine if

progress is being made,” Cook said. “Reading needs to happen to the

child and with the child. Those two components together create a

pretty rich foundation. What you are able to expose the child to as

an audience is a lot higher at what they are able to read by

themselves.

“Reading by Nine has been incredibly generous in both books and

people to Whittier School,” Cook said. “That coupled with our

incredible staff has made all the difference.”

But I wanted to hear more, so Cook referred me to David Barr, a

volunteer who treks to Whittier twice a week from Huntington Beach to

help read in the classroom.

Why does he do it, I asked?

“I think I started out wanting to give something back, but then I

thought ‘to what and to whom?’” he said. “Now, I just want to do

what’s helpful to the child. It’s a neat deal. It is rewarding and

fun.”

Barr spends two hours at the school. His method is to have the

kids read to him as he helps them by pointing out words that they may

have pronounced incorrectly. Some kids are just naturals at reading

and some have a hard time paying attention, preferring to look at the

pictures, he said.

Either way, it’s an experience he relishes each time.

“Every kid I run into is just a terrific kid,” said Barr, who is

retired from the stock market and insurance industry. “You just tend

to kind of fall in love with them. One of the little girls came over

and put her arms around me and said ‘I sure like him’ That just tugs

on your heartstrings.”

Barr is one of about 15 people who volunteer at Whittier, Cook

said. The volunteers run the gamut as far as careers -- an actress, a

nurse, a retired college professor, students and even newspaper

people.

Members of the Costa Mesa Fire Department will begin reading to

kids at Whittier two Fridays a month starting in January, Cook said.

Anyone can volunteer. If you are interested give Cook a call at

949-515-6898 or call Pomona School at (949) 515-6980 or Wilson at

(949) 515-6995.

Or if you can’t find the time to volunteer, you can give as little

as $10, all tax deductible, toward the purchase of books for the

children.

Since the Reading by Nine program began, some 16,000 books have

been purchased and donated to the three schools, Rotary leaders say.

Cook said those books are used in classrooms or given to kids to take

home and read.

All donations will be matched. A $10 donation will be matched and

used to buy 11 books. For $25 the kids can get 30 books and a $50

donation will bring in 58. Imagine how much $100 or more can buy.

Donations to the program can be sent to Reading by Nine, Rotary

District 5320 Foundation, c/o Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay St. Costa Mesa,

CA 92627.

Whatever you decide to do this holiday season, I hope it is a

merry one and filled with good cheer and family warmth, and I’d like

to take this time to wish all of our Daily Pilot readers a blessed

holiday and happy New Year.

See you in 2003.

* TONY DODERO is the editor. He can be reached at (949) 574-4258

or via e-mail at tony.dodero@latimes.com.