A new summer-reading initiative is giving Bellevue school kids a chance to check out books and decide for themselves whether to return them.
The Fabulous Fun Fridays program brings donated reading materials to local apartment complexes and allows children to grab as much as they like, for as long as they want – even if it means forever.
“I usually just keep them when I’m done because my baby sister likes playing with them and looking at the pictures,” said 10-year-old Fernando Javier, a student at Stevenson Elementary who attended one of the events July 23.
Free nutritional snacks are also available during the programs, and organizers occasionally arrange for an ice cream truck to stop by.
The goal of Fabulous Fun Fridays is to stimulate students’ minds during summer vacation. studies show that children who read frequently during the long break retain more of their academic gains from the previous school year.
Odle Middle School assistant principal Jacqueline McKenzie created Fabulous Fun Fridays. She modeled it after the Books on Wheels program that operates much the same way through her own school.
“What’s more exciting for an educator than seeing young people digging through books?” she said.
Bellevue Schools superintendent Amalia Cudeiro says she would like to replicate the reading programs throughout the district.
“This program is near and dear to my heart,” she said. “If we provide good books, it’s huge for improving kids’ knowledge.”
Over 4,000 publications were available at the outset of the Fabulous Fun Friday program, thanks to donations from local book stores, the Bellevue School District, King County Library System, the Boys and Girls Club of Bellevue, and the Odle PTSA.
The city of Bellevue provided organizational help through its Wrap-Around Services program, which tries to foster healthy families and communities, using local schools as a hub.
Volunteers also show up at the events to read to the kids and help them find books that match their interests.
Wendy Woods decided to donate her time after learning about the program through her church.
“I’m known as ‘the book grandma’ with my grandchildren,” she said. “I just believe if you can read, you can learn everything. It’s the basis of all education.”
Three Fabulous Fun Friday events have taken place this summer, and two more are scheduled for August 6 and August 20.
The programs for both dates run from 12-1:30 p.m. at the Woodland Commons apartment complex (located off NE Eighth Street at 898 137th Ave. NE) and from 2-3 p.m. at Lake Hills Elementary (14310 SE 12th Street).
Eleven-year-old Anthony Alvarez is an incoming sixth grader at Odle who attended the July 23 event. He says he’s likely come back another time to look for new sports books, as well as some fiction about the mouse detective Geronimo Stilton.
