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Mental Health Society honors reading volunteers
Published: Friday, June 11, 2010, 6:52 AM
Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Staten Island Mental Health Society celebrated the 50th anniversary of its
School Reading Volunteer Program by recognizing the people whose visits to public elementary schools help
children improve their skills. At the School Reading Volunteer Honor luncheon, yesterday in the Hilton
Garden Inn, Bloomfield, 265 reading volunteers were the guests of honor.
Nina Long will be honored by the Mental Health Society.
Last year, the SIMHS’ corps of reading volunteers tutored 506 children in 35 schools, donating 18,800 hours
of service.
Guest speaker Nina Long of West Brighton, a children’s literacy specialist and community volunteer, spoke
about the importance of volunteering to promote literacy. A counselor in the College of Staten Island’s
Career and Scholarship Center, she serves as a volunteer in the Staten Island Children’s Museum’s special
programming unit. Ms. Long, president-elect of the Staten Island Reading Association, co-writes (with
MaryLee Montalvo) the Advance’s literacy column, “Read All About It,” in the Parent and Child section.
Proceeds are donated to “First Book,” a national literacy organization that puts books in the hands of
underserved children.
The School Reading Volunteer Program is operated by SIMHS in partnership with Time Warner Cable, with
the cooperation of the city Department of Education. The luncheon was partially underwritten with grants
from Consolidated Edison and the Mid-Island Rotary Foundation.
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