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For one afternoon every month, the Nebo Comfort Systems team puts away their tools, shuts off their computers and heads back to school. In a partnership with United Way, the Nebo Comfort Systems Community of Caring Program purchases enough books to send one home with each of the students, then heads to school to read with them. Nebo’s employees look forward to their time reading with the students as much as the kids do.
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“We love reading to the kids,” said Robert Moore of Nebo Comfort Systems. “They are so much fun and they get so excited about taking their new book home to share with their families.”
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Colin Logue of Utah Avenue Insurance has also been a long-time participant with United Way’s reading program. He reads monthly with students at Barnett Elementary School in Payson.
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“My heart fills with love each time I walk into a classroom and the kids run up to me with hugs,” Logue said. “How do you put that into words?”
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“Helping kids develop a lifelong love of reading is one way we can have a huge impact in their lives,” noted Lorene Moore, director of Nebo Comfort’s Community of Caring Program. “I love seeing my family at home totally absorbed in a good book. It’s one of those ‘mission accomplished’ moments for me.”
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United Way programs allow businesses all over the country to find ways to give back to their communities. Students who develop their reading skills when they are young are more likely to achieve success during their school years and in their adult life. With more than 17,000 students in 26 elementary schools in Nebo School District, there are plenty of opportunities for businesses to be able to make a huge difference.
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“When I ask them about the books I’ve brought and they can tell me all about them, I know they are taking them home and reading them with their families. I know I’m accomplishing something really wonderful,” Logue said.
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Read a book to a child, and you open their world to imagination. Give a child a book, and you open their imagination to worlds.
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“Being able to give back to this community that we love is what our Community of Caring Program is all about,” Moore said. “Reading with the kids is one of our favorite programs. It’s certainly one of the most personally rewarding.”
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For more information about how your business can partner with United Way, go to www.unitedwayuc.org or send an email to lovettem@unitedwayuc.org. For more information on developing a Community of Caring Program for your business, send an email to lorene@nebocomfortsystems.com.
