Rolling Meadows kids do more than summer reading
It seems a kid can't go from one grade to the next without having a summer reading assignment to fulfill.
In Rolling Meadows, one group of students is going beyond that by spending hours each week at the library. They're volunteers for the library's summer reading program.
The youngsters work in the Youth Services department assisting other children who have signed up for the program. They log each participant's progress, answer questions and hand out rewards like gumballs and coupons for local businesses.
Kathy Fredrickson, the library's volunteer coordinator, is grateful for the help. "If it was just us we'd have to triple our staff, especially on Saturdays and Sundays," she said. "The volunteers are really key."
About 45 children signed up this year and went through training in the spring. They work an average of three 2-hour shifts each week. Students entering sixth through eighth grade are eligible to volunteer, and some have done it all three years.
Lauren Chipchak is one of them. She's a 13-year-old who needed to complete 40 hours of service to the community before her confirmation this year. "I'm way past that because of this," she said.
Lauren says she enjoys meeting the young readers. "It's fun to see the little kids' faces when you say it's time to get your gumball," she said.
The volunteers are required to participate in the seven-week reading program themselves - not a problem for most. Lauren finished the whole thing in the first four days.
"These are such good kids," said Lucia Khipple, director of Youth Services. "We couldn't do it without them."
Busy weekend: The Friends of the Rolling Meadows Library Summer Book Sale is going on through Sunday. You can find bargains on books, audio books, CDs and DVDs. Drop by - there's no charge for browsing. Call (847) 259-6050 for more details.
• Colleen Thomas' column appears Fridays. She welcomes your news about community events and people. Call (847) 427-4591, or e-mail her at cthomas@dailyherald.com.