Every child deserves a bedtime story.
Each year, more than 100,000 military parents are deployed leaving nearly 250,000 children at home. With a conservative 6-month separation, these children have 180 nights without their parent at home for bedtime stories. That's 40 million missed stories each year by military children.
Donate now.
United Through Reading
1455 Frazee Road
Suite 500
San Diego, CA 92108
Phone: 858-481-7323
Mission
Connecting military families through reading! Goal: Every military child has bedtime stories with deployed U.S. military parent. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, & Coast Guard parents sustain connection with kids through video-recorded storytime.
Email:
giving@utr.org
Web Site:
http://www.unitedthroughreading.org
Real Life Story
Family separation is part of military life, but it's always hard on families, especially children. United Through Reading equips and encourages deployed service members to read stories to their children on video from 200 locations around the world, including Navy ships at sea, military bases, medical centers, and USOs in distant lands. More than 500 volunteers make this possible.
Picture a sailor onboard an aircraft carrier somewhere in the Atlantic. In the small recording area, he picks up a copy of "Goodnight Moon," starts the video camera, and reads the story to his daughter. Now imagine his little girl a few days later at home, settling down for a bedtime story with her far-away daddy. Through these simple videos, children see their parent's face, listen to their voice and read along. Children can spend as much time with their parent as they wish by watching the video over and over. In addition to the literacy benefits, reading a story together has a unique way of building emotional bonds between parent and child - bonds that keep families connected during long separations. When deployed parents participate in United Through Reading:
* Children's anxieties are eased.
* Service members become part of daily life at home.
* Spouses are supported because parenting is shared.
* Homecomings are easier.
* Children become readers.
United Through Reading began serving military families 27 years ago. Each year over 100,000 stories cross oceans and time zones to bring Mom or Dad home to military children for their bedtime stories.