Alabama Power volunteers bring books to life during Read Across America
Eastern APSO members Misty Hallman (left) and Daniel Freeman read to children at Blountsville Elementary School during Read Across America Week. The project is an enduring partnership between APSO and numerous schools statewide, with some APSO members taking part in the school project for more than 10 years. (Dana McFarland / Eastern APSO)
Read Across America Week is a favorite time of year for schoolchildren and the Alabama Power volunteers who read at schools across the state.
For more than 10 years, Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO) members have visited numerous elementary schools in support of the project.
Totally enjoying the celebration, Tabetha Lemonds wore a Dr. Seuss costume so she could get into character and entertain children at Chelsea, Childersburg and Wilsonville elementary schools.
“We take a reader, the ‘Cat in the Hat’ and ‘Thing 1’ and ‘Thing 2’ to every school,” said Lemonds, power generation analyst at Plant Gaston near Wilsonville. “At different schools, we either go classroom to classroom or we do assembly-style in the library or cafeteria, for multiple classes. We take all the characters and go around, read a book, and have a little fun and include a little mischief.”
Western APSO shares Read Across America videos from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.
Lemonds was among 20 Gaston APSO members representing Plant Gaston and Plant Central Alabama. The team read to classes at Chelsea, Childersburg, Coosa Valley Academy, Cornerstone Christian, Fayetteville, Jemison, Sycamore, Verbena, and Wilsonville elementary schools.
To serve more areas, Western APSO members brainstormed and came up with novel ways of sharing Read Across America this year. Community Relations Manager Diane Brooker said APSO volunteers partnered with Western Energizers in Tuscaloosa in reading to elementary schools.
APSO members from the company’s Western Division chapter also brought Read Across America to elementary schools throughout Sumter County, about 50 miles southwest of Tuscaloosa. On March 6, Western APSO President Brooker joined Jeff Crawford, Diane Fisher, Jodi Franklin and Estacia Johnson in reading popular children’s books on video. The video clips were emailed to several schools.
“This is a Western Division Alabama Power Service Organization project reaching out to the most rural schools in the Black Belt,” said Brooker, Community Relations manager in the Demopolis Office. “Our goal was to reach as many schools as possible, and making these videos helped make that happen.”
As part of the project, Western Energizers member Jim Clark read to classes at Park Elementary School, strengthening Western APSO’s partnership with the company’s retiree service organization. “Besides this, we had three volunteers read in person at a Demopolis city school, and two volunteers read at T.R. Simmons Elementary School in Jasper,” Brooker added.
About 20 members from the Plant Miller APSO chapter, some with their spouses, read to some 1,000 students at Bagley, Cordova, Sumiton, Valley and West Jefferson elementary schools. The Miller Chapter bought new, loved children’s books and gave seven books to each school.
Longtime Miller APSO member and Plant Services Team Leader Teresa Black said, “Great fun was had by all; it was such a rewarding experience.”
Southeast Division/Plant Farley APSO chapter member Brittany Killingsworth read at Headland Elementary School; Carla Tindell read for students at Ashford Elementary School; and Ann Michele Tyson and Bart Norton read to classes at Ozark city schools. Southeast Energizers President Shannon Sampson on March 24 will read to youngsters at Headland Elementary. The school is making Read Across America Week into a monthlong event, allowing volunteers to read from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.
Fifteen Eastern Division APSO chapter members read to classes at Blountsville Elementary School in Oneonta; Golden Springs Elementary School in Anniston; Coosa Valley, Eden, Iola Roberts and Kennedy elementary schools in Pell City; and R.L. Young Elementary School in Talladega.
When some Alabama schools closed March 3 because of bad weather, Eastern APSO President Dana McFarland made new arrangements.
“After we had to cancel reading at Oxford Elementary School and Cobb Academy Pre-K and kindergarten, I read ‘A Big Guy Took My Ball’ to my niece and nephew, Rylin and Aubree Williams, at their home that morning,” said McFarland, Community Relations specialist at the Eastern Division Office in Anniston.
The Magic City APSO chapter partnered with members of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) in reading to students at i3 Academy, a public charter school in the Woodlawn community of Birmingham. Julian Grant, community service chair for AABE’s Birmingham Chapter, organized the readings for kindergarten through second grade classes.
“It was truly a fun and rewarding experience,” said Grant, Community Development specialist in Birmingham Division. “The staff at i3 expressed their sincere gratitude for us coming out to interact with their students. We’re even in talks about partnering for another service event later in the year.”
