Once upon a time, there was a driven, passionate nurse who was committed to making a meaningful difference – inside her kingdom and out. One day, she learned that the schools in the local village were closing their libraries one-by-one, leaving the children with no books to improve their reading or spark their imaginations. A healer by trade, our hero had no experience as a bookkeeper, but she knew something needed to be done – she just needed the gold to make it happen. She presented her case to the kingdom’s Mistress of the Community, who, impressed by her spirit and determination, granted her the gold. Our hero sprung to action, embarking on a literary journey and loading books into her cart. She hauled them to a nearby school, filled the shelves, and promised that she would visit regularly to read to the children and bring their libraries back to life.
But this wasn’t the end of this story – oh, no. Instead of moving on and just hoping for a “happily ever after” for her community, our hero, Janet McMaster, RN, the outpatient practice coordinator for the PPMC Trauma Center, sought out gold (in the form of a Penn Medicine CAREs grant) two more times so she could continue serving as an enriching role model and playing an active part in revitalizing her local schools.
Every Thursday afternoon during the school year, McMaster can be found in the library of the Powel School with other volunteers from the non-profit West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC). WePAC is spearheading the effort to systematically re-open public school libraries that have lost city funding by providing volunteer staff, circulating new books, and introducing Library Buddies and mentors.
With the funding of three CAREs grants, McMaster has updated the library’s selection of science books; introduced a collection of Brown Sugar & Spice books, which center stories on children of color; brought in a variety of nonfiction books celebrating figures in the Black community and their accomplishments; and most recently, added a collection of books that focus on community building. She also helps to manage the library’s basic operations by checking out books, helping students make age-appropriate selections, and – best of all – leading story-time.
“I love it. My manager has been very supportive of my time away from the hospital, and it’s really the best day of the week,” McMaster said. “It’s so important for elementary students to have access to books and to learn to read, but unfortunately, many children in this area don’t have those resources or anyone to read to them.”
Indeed, WePAC reports that 80 percent of public school students score below their grade level in reading, math, or both. In addition, nearly a quarter of adults in these neighborhoods cannot read or write at an elementary school level, and more than a third do not have a high school diploma. The first step to developing empowered community members and effective communicators: building literacy.
“WePAC is focused on giving kids the tools to overcome these challenges,” McMaster said. “These programs don’t just help students develop an appreciation for reading, but they help them to stay out of the criminal justice system and achieve their full potential.”
WePAC is always looking for more volunteers, as well as more donations. Learn more at wepac.org/ways-to-give/.