On Friday July 8, LINC Very Involved Parent (VIP) Evelin Cuevas walked across the street from her home in East New York to Cypress Hills Playground to do a read-aloud for the children in her neighborhood. With her bright yellow shirt and warm disposition, Evelin’s joy and excitement about reading were contagious. Although on vacation from work, she chose to use her free time to give back to her community. “I love being out in the neighborhood, talking to parents and reading to the kids,” she said.
Evelin graduated from LINC’s VIP Academy in 2018 with a cohort of six other moms who still keep in contact. She reflected fondly on the time they’ve spent together at their children’s playdates, birthday parties, schools and, of course, at LINC programs. Although two of the parents have moved from town, the remaining four still come to support LINC’s events when they can despite their children having aged out.
At the start of the read-aloud the children discussed their summer plans and their favorite books. Then Evelyn read My Very Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World by Malcolm Mitchel. The book follows a little boy who has trouble learning to read and can’t seem to find a book that interests him. His mom gently reminds him that “sometimes the best stories can be found inside of us.” In the end, he gains his reading confidence and finds his very favorite book by writing his own story. “What did you learn from the boy in the story?” Evelin asked. “He didn’t give up,” replied one child.
At LINC we are so grateful to VIPs like Evelin who are raising resilient readers and encouraging children to believe in the power of their own stories.
To learn more about our Very Involved Parent Program or to get involved, please contact Wilkarlys Zaman at 212-620-5462, ext. 121 or email wzaman@lincnyc.org.
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