One of the great joys in life is taking time to read to children. I was lucky enough to do just that, along with approximately 90 other members of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, earlier this week.

Read to Me is a program, sponsored by the Chamber, which, among other initiatives, encourages business people to take time to visit with and read to pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students in the Philadelphia School District. Participants also made a $500 donation to the school’s library.

The participants started out the day meeting at the main school district building to discuss other ways to support our city schools. We then all boarded big, yellow school buses and traveled out to the school for our reading assignments. I read the soon to be classic, “Seven Blind Mice.”

When we got to the school, I was struck by a number of impressions. I couldn’t help but notice that the school I was at was connected to a Philadelphia high school that is the neighborhood school for a number of adolescents receiving residential care at Devereux. I was also struck by the enthusiasm and innocence of the young children who anxiously listened to me read aloud to them. It is discouraging to think about how easily these children can be converted from young and enthusiastic learners to adolescents that are at a high risk of dropping out of school and getting involved in the juvenile justice system. The Philadelphia School District, under the outstanding leadership of Paul Vallas, and with the support of the business community, is making important investments to help brighten these children’s futures. Devereux, with expertise in early childhood education, assessment tools, parent training and behavior management, is excited to be a part of that effort. There is much more to be done, but I think we can all take pride in knowing that, as Devereux stakeholders, we are all part of an organization that is working to make a difference for all children.

In the spirit of the holiday season, I hope all of you will join me in finding an opportunity to give back to the community. Whether you take the time to read a story to a child, invite someone to your home for a holiday meal or make a donation in the red kettle at your local store, take time to appreciate your many blessings in life.

Happy Holidays!