Supporting San Diego’s Military Families
As you think about ways to give back throughout the year, consider supporting United Through Reading, a nonprofit organization making a difference in San Diego County’s military community. Read on to learn what you can do to support their efforts or get involved.
For the past 35 years, United Through Reading (UTR) has helped our local military members and their families stay connected through reading, no matter the distance between them. UTR facilitates a shared read-aloud experience by giving service members a unique opportunity to record a story time moment. The recording can be accessed by their children or family member and watched on-demand while following along with their own copy of the book. Whether on deployment or other long-distance duty assignments, UTR enables members in all military branches, including veterans, to strengthen familial bonds during times of separation.
UTR’s library consists of children’s books that reflect the diversity of our military families and our nation, creating a more inclusive and empathetic society while encouraging a love for reading.
“At United Through Reading, we believe every child deserves to see themselves in the stories they read, including our military,” says Melanie Sheridan, UTR’s director of marketing and communications. “We believe diversity in books expands a child’s worldview and allows them to understand the full breadth and depth of the human experience.”
Generous support from the community allows UTR to continue to facilitate emotional connections and literacy advancement within military families. Consider volunteering time or donating funds or books to support a bridge between military members and their loved ones.
Volunteers may attend events, run story-recording stations or host virtual book drives to support San Diego military families. There are story time stations at most local military installations, and staff members always work alongside volunteers (on-base access may be required). Volunteers of all ages are welcome to support UTR’s mission (volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by an adult). Book donations from the community ensure story stations are always stocked with inclusive books with diverse characters and themes.
To learn more about United Through Reading’s mission to unite military families through story time, visit www.unitedthroughreading.org or follow @unitedthroughreading on FB and @utr4military on IG.
Amanda Cavallari is a lifestyle writer residing in San Diego.
