New Program: Read, Write & You!

For additional resources such as great children’s literacy tips, fun educational activities, research on children’s literacy and more, please visit http://www.kidsliteracy.org/

USO Hampton Roads and Central Virginia (USOHRCV) launched a new literacy program for military children in March 2021. In the ever-changing COVID-19 environment, USO HRCV realized implementing virtual programs was key to affording the mission, and upgrading current programs to fit the virtual learning environment of military children was necessary.

About The Program

Read, Write & You! is an all-encompassing program with elements of education, relationship strengthening, and connection aimed at military children and their families. Each month, select USO HRCV comfort centers will distribute books drive-thru style at a limited availability so military children can build their home libraries. Then, USO HRCV will provide a corresponding virtual read-along on the USO HRCV YouTube channel to promote oral and listening skills, and community.

Through reading together with a real-time host, children are introduced to new stories and encouraged to write a short letter to their parent, sibling, friend, or deployed service member with how they felt after reading his or her new book.

In support of the USO Reading Program, Read, Write, & You! offers another level of keeping service members connected to family, home, and country with a written portion. By providing books, virtual read-alongs, and written letters, children and parents engage in the literacy development process together. Parents are encouraged to continue this process through fun additional resources provided by the Soho Center at http://www.kidsliteracy.org

“I learned to love reading and writing at a young age, and remember writing letters to my dad when he was deployed. Read, Write, & You! was developed with that little girl’s thoughts at the forefront, and in attempt to keep those long days apart from feeling anything but mundane,” said Kristin Celiceo, USO HRCV Program and Volunteer Coordinator.

Community Support

This program was made possible through the generosity of local individuals, businesses, and organizations like the Soho Center which provided all of the books that military children received in previous USO HRCV programs. The Soho Center is continuing their partnership with USO HRCV by providing all of the books for Read, Write, & You! and other programs for military children.

Check back on the Events page for upcoming happenings with this program, including monthly book distributions.