Unlike many nine-year olds, Kevin Vickers said he enjoys spending time at the library, surrounded by books. Vickers, a third-grader at St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School, has attended the Huntington Reading Camp for two years and plans to come back next year.
“I came last year and I had so much fun because I made lots of friends outside of school,” Vickers said. “I have learned more about reading here because it’s not boring. I’ll be here next year too!”
The Huntington Reading Camp is a free five-day event for children who are struggling readers. The camp provides each camper with 15 hours of reading instructions, strategies and skill builders taught by local teachers.
Dr. Susan Thomas Frank is one of the camp’s many advocates. Frank, an associate professor within Marshall’s Department of Communication Disorders, said this intensive one-week camp helps struggling readers learn to love to read, improve study and reading skills and have fun with others who share their goals and difficulties they have reading in the classroom.
“In this country, we have a tremendous illiteracy problem and we know reading and writing problems cross socio-economic lines. A camp like this is so important because we live in the information age where literacy is a necessary element for academic achievement,” Frank said. “Through this camp, we want to instill a love of reading and writing and provide them with the confidence to succeed outside of the classroom.”
The camp is sponsored by three local Episcopal churches in Huntington and has been held at the St. John’s Episcopal Church for the past two years. Frank said the initiatives of the camp are conducted nationally and internationally and would not be possible without the support of local teachers, students and members of the community.
Catherine Brewer, a 2013 graduate of the Department of Communication Disorders, said her experience working with children to improve their literacy inspired her to get involved.
“As a graduate student, my focus was literacy and I learned how important it is to emphasize the fundamentals of language and reading,” Brewer said. “As an alumna, it feels great to give back. I have a tremendous sense of pride graduating from a university that is so involved in its community.”
Twenty-four campers attended this year’s Huntington Reading Camp and enjoyed outdoor activities at Beech Fork State Park, the Huntington Museum of Art and the former Proctor Farm. The camp concludes today and participants will receive a backpack with four books, one being an autographed copy by Colleen Anderson, children’s author of “Missing: Mrs. Cornblossom,” who visited the camp earlier in the week.
To learn more about the Huntington Reading Camp and how your child can attend, visit www.readingcampinhuntington.org online. To learn more about Marshall’s Department of Communication Disorders and its involvement in the community, visit www.marshall.edu/cohp online.
