United Way: Bedtime Stories increases literacy and changes lives
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- Bill Hulterstrom is president and CEO of United Way of Utah County.
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- Bedtime Stories Volunteers read in this undated photo.
Courtesy Riana Bruce-Goodsky
Bill Hulterstrom is president and CEO of United Way of Utah County.
Over these past months, as I’ve reflected on the impacts that United Way of Utah County has made over the past 60 years, I’ve been reminded how often those impacts start with the work of one person. One person who has vision to see a need, the wisdom to find a solution, and the passion to inspire others, can change communities forever. Here at United Way, one of our best-loved programs started in just this way over twenty years ago and has been changing lives ever since.
Bedtime Stories is a program that allows parents and grandparents who are incarcerated to strengthen their relationships with the children in their lives while encouraging literacy. Once a month, volunteers visit the prison with digital recorders and children’s books. They sit down with inmates and record them reading the books aloud.
After the visit, the recording and the books are sent to the inmate’s children or grandchildren. This allows the children to hear the voices of their beloved family members while they are separated. It also encourages the children to read along with the recording, and creates a shared memory related to stories.
The benefits of Bedtime Stories are manifold, for the volunteers, the inmates, and the families. As the volunteers visit with participants each month, they strengthen social connections. These connections are so important for helping those who are currently incarcerated to be prepared for reintegration into society.
These connections are even more important with the families of the inmates, since family relationships can be strained during long separations and incarceration. By making it possible for the inmates to connect monthly with their children, volunteers are helping to heal family relationships.
Courtesy United Way
Bedtime Stories Volunteers read in this undated photo.
While Bedtime Stories now has a thriving volunteer community and provides services in multiple corrections facilities, it was the idea of one compassionate volunteer. Twenty years ago, a local high school student was looking for a volunteer opportunity. She came to United Way with an idea for a volunteer project that she thought could do a lot of good — visiting mothers in prison and recording them reading for their children.
Bedtime Stories started small: a couple of volunteers in one corrections facility. In the two decades since she started the program, however, her idea has grown into a beloved program that works with other literacy programs at United Way to strengthen family relationships and support children as they learn to read.
It doesn’t take much to start something that will make a significant difference in our community. Think about your own interests and passions, and look for ways that you can use those interests and skills to make a difference. You never know how important your actions can be.
For more information about Bedtime Stories or other ways to get involved, visit http://unitedwayuc.org.
