JBLE hosts Read to Kids day

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jarad A. Denton
  • 633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. --  With a wave of her finger, Staff Sgt. Jacquelyne Millender looked out over a group of children, July 17, at the Langley Air Force Base, Va. Child Development Center and spoke.

"Mama called the doctor and the doctor said," she recited as her finger rhythmically moved to the words.

Suddenly, the children mimicked her gesture and shouted at the top of their lungs.

"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

As she continued reading, Millender, who normally works as a mental health technician with the 633rd Medical Operations Squadron, was able to see the reactions from the children she was reading to during the Read to Kids day event, sponsored by the Langley Family Advocacy Office.

"I love kids," Millender said. "They share so much with you when you read to them."

Millender was joined by three other Airmen, who all took time away from their workday to come to the CDC and read stories to children, ages 3 to 5.

"I think they entertain me as much as I entertain them," said Senior Airman Sarah Shoemaker, 633rd MDOS mental health technician. "I remember when I was a kid I loved having books read to me. This is my chance to give back."

Shoemaker said the facial reactions and emotions expressed by the children are the most rewarding part of volunteering to read. This marks the second time Family Advocacy has arranged for Airmen to come read to the children, as well as the second time Shoemaker has devoted her time to the cause. She said both times have shown her how amazing children can be.

"One kid was actually appalled when we got to the end of the story and the mother started jumping on the bed," Shoemaker said, smiling. "They were actually disappointed with her."

According to Antoinette Hyman, CDC supervisory child development technician, children will hear a story read to them, remember it and begin to understand it in their own way.

"The readers who come in help the children open up and share their feelings openly," Hyman said. "They take the different parts from the story, and make it their own."

Through reading, the children are able to grow and prepare themselves for kindergarten.

"It makes me feel like we've accomplished something," Hyman said. "These Airmen who volunteer are really bringing a positive influence to these kids' lives."

For Shoemaker, that positive influence is returned a hundred fold when she observed how the children received the stories read by her and the other Airmen.

"It's like seeing that childlike innocence on their faces," she said. "Often, we just read books, but they actually see them - they feel them."