Children learn reading skills through Come Read with Me program. Wanda Patrick has served as a volunteer with the Come Read with Me program through the Metropolitan Library System since 2015. She is also currently serving on the board of directors for RSVP of Central Oklahoma. The Come Read with Me program is an after-school program offered at various sites throughout Oklahoma County. Volunteers from our community read books with children to inspire their imagination and a sense of wonder to believe anything is possible. Wanda has been reading to children since 2015 and continues to look forward to opening a new book with each child.

Volunteering has helped me build a life after my retirement. I enjoy being a part of the Come Read with Me program. It is very rewarding to see children excited to pick out a book and listen to a story. We have so much fun with the kids.

I’ve now been part of the program long enough to have the great enjoyment of seeing the kids grow up and come back the next year able to read a book to me. Watching them grow up is satisfying and rewarding.

When you first volunteer, you think you are doing it to help someone else, but the big surprise is that you quickly find out that you are the one who gets the most out of serving others. I can’t imagine not being a part of this amazing program. It’s something I plan to do for as long as I can.

If you would like to volunteer with the Come Read with Me program, or other programs that serve children, please reach out to us—we will help you get started! Fall is the time of the year when our nonprofit agency partners typically experience the greatest demand for their services. Now is a great time to make that commitment to volunteer. Like Wanda and so many others, you will find a love for volunteering as your life is enriched by taking the time to care and serve someone else.

When you volunteer you quickly realize that you are the one who benefits the most.