Volunteers from University Baptist Church of Coral Gables made new friends in Homestead last Saturday, December 9, 2006. Volunteers and children were "buddied-up" to build bookshelves and select a few books from UBC's book drive. Many of the children did not have books of their very own before this project. Each child also received a new dictionary through the "Dictionary Project," of Charleston, SC.

All the children were very proud of their shelves, but the best part of the day was volunteers and children reading together, sharing their favorite stories. "It was wonderful to see the children excited about reading," said Leah Crowley, Associate Director. "I think this project will have a long-term benefit for our community," Crowley added.

OHM has two more "Reading Buddy Saturdays" planned, so all the children in our after-school program will have an opportunity to make their own shelf.