The Gospel Truth Magazine April 2019 | Page 8

“Succeeding Through Reading” Gold Award Service Project On February 23, 2019, Senior Ambassador Girl Scout, Karina Bumpers of Troop #1896, held her Grand Opening to her Gold Award “Literature Forest” reading room service project at the Gould’s Community Center. “I chose to focus on literacy because it is a global issue and initiative of Girl Scouts of America. I heard a radio news report on March 1, 2018 that stated that the United States of America has 32 million illiterate citizens. So I wanted to make a difference in my community by building a reading room to help kindergarten through fifth grade students with literacy and reading comprehension.” The “Literature Forest” reading room was built to encourage students to grab a book and let the pages come alive through their imagination. It has a silent reading area and a space for the Reading Coach to work with children one on one. Karina also donated over 1,600 books she received from friends, family, classmates, fellow Girl Scouts and her own bookshelf. The majority of the books are Accelerated Reading books which tests the student’s reading comprehension when finished. This assists the Reading Coach and student in providing reading materials within their reading level to gradually improve their literacy and reading comprehension skills. The “Literature Forest” reading room will positively impact our youth for generations. Karina graduates from Coral Reef High in June 2019. She is also a Silver Knight nominee in English and Literature. She will continue her studies as a Biomedical Sciences major and aspires to become a pediatric surgeon or physician. “My career goal is to continue to give back to my community by ensuring they stay healthy and live good, productive lives.” Thank you Karina for your service and mak- ing a difference in our community!