Reading Changed My Life - Townsend Press

Reading Changed My Life! Three True Storiesinner city, which had been boarded up for twentyeightyears. With her usual irresistible energy, sheasked a community leader to help her obtain it. Theright people were approached, the idea wasexplained, and the building’s owner donated it toCops ’n Kids.Meanwhile, the Journal-Times article aboutCops ’n Kids had been picked up by the AssociatedPress and reprinted all over the world. In January1999, Julia received a call from a producer ofNBC’s Today show. Today wanted Julia to come toNew York to be interviewed by the show’s host,Katie Couric. The producer also wanted to send acamera crew to Racine to take pictures of officershanding books out to kids on the streets.To the producer’s astonishment, Julia said no.“I said, thank you very much, but I’m too busy tocome to New York. And besides, we don’t passbooks out on the sidewalk in the middle of the winterin Wisconsin! Do you know how cold it gets76