Monday, January 23rd, was National Reading Day, which is celebrated in thousands of schools all around the United States by encouraging young children to read. Rescue Village, an animal shelter in Geauga County, Ohio celebrated this day by bringing in young animal lovers to read to its shelter animals.
The 11 children who volunteered yesterday were from Girl Scout Troop 90543 in Aurora and enjoyed curling up with homeless cats, dogs, and even bunnies and reading to them. This Girl Scout Troop really encouraged Rescue Village to get this program going and had a big hand in making National Reading Day such a success. The idea had been on the wish list, but when Rescue Village received a signed letter by each member of the Aurora Girl Scout Troop 90543 who were each ready to roll up their sleeves and help make it happen, the initiative was really launched! The troop also had a book drive, filling the Rescue Village reading shelves with books to read to the animals.
Reading helps not only the children by fostering their education but it also helps the animals to be stimulated and socialize with people. One shelter dog, who was stressed in his kennel, immediately stopped barking when one of the girls sat down to read to him. A shelter cat curled up with its paired reader and sat by her side purring softly for the entire book.
Rescue Village hopes to continue the momentum of National Reading Day by inviting volunteers of all ages (not just children) to read to shelter cats, dogs, and even barn animals throughout the year. If you are interested in reading to shelter animals or know someone who is, please call 440-338-4819 x49 for more information.
