Troops in Baghdad read to children via DVDs
Becky Bresnahan's 3-year-old son loves books.
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But because of time conflicts, Bresnahan couldn't take him to the nearby Euchee Creek Library for weekly story time. So the Grovetown mother organized one for her son and other children in her Indian Springs subdivision.
"We set it up for the families in the neighborhood," Bresnahan said.
The story time, designed for toddlers through lower elementary school pupils, will be held at 10 a.m. each Tuesday in July at the neighborhood clubhouse.
The first, scheduled for July 12, will feature stories read by military personnel deployed in Baghdad.
As word of the event spread through the neighborhood, Army Maj. A. Curtis Hill heard about it in Baghdad. Hill, stationed at Forward Operating Base Union III, once lived in Indian Springs and still receives e-mails from the homeowners association.
Hill sponsors the United Through Reading program, which records soldiers reading books aloud. The DVDs then are sent to children in their lives.
"I saw the information for the Story Time project organized by Becky Bresnahan and thought it would be a good idea for the kids and the service members here to come together via reading," Hill wrote in an e-mail. "The success of the (United Through Reading) program is due to the reaction of the kids, and I knew that this would be a great project and excellent complement to the Story Time program."
Hill said he organized volunteers from all military branches serving on the base to read stories for the project.
He said he will mail enough DVDs to continue the program well past July if Bresnahan decides to continue it.
Reading for children is a morale booster for the troops and provides a link home during their deployment, Hill said.
"He's just a nice guy," Bresnahan said. "He's excited about it."
Most of the events also will include a child-friendly activity, such as a craft or food project, Bresnahan said.
The events are free and open to Indian Springs residents.
For information, contact Bresnahan at (706) 421-6103.