USO brings families together through reading

  • Published
  • By Rhonda Siciliano
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  USO New England offers a number of programs and services to military members and their families. One such program, United Through Reading, brings children together with their deployed parent or guardian through books. 

United Through Reading is a program that was started in 1991, by a California based nonprofit organization. The program unites families facing physical separation by having the deployed service member read a children's book aloud while being recorded on DVD to send home to their children or leave with them prior to deploying. Both the DVD and a new copy of the book are sent to the child, so they can follow along while watching the taped Read-Aloud session. 

Recording sessions are available on site at the USO Center in Boston and scheduled at alternate site locations throughout New England for the member's convenience. Military personnel can also record a DVD during their deployment with recording sites on Navy ships worldwide and at remote operating bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Service members also have the option of visiting one of more than 60 USO Centers in airports, community locations, military medical facilities and overseas bases where they can make the DVD recordings. 

"Deployments can be difficult on family members, especially children," said Denee DiNardo, United Through Reading volunteer coordinator. "This program helps to bridge that separation and provides children with something tangible to unite them with their parent or guardian in an activity that may be a familiar part of the day to day routine when the parent is home." 

Participation in the program is simple, free of charge and available to any military member that is preparing to deploy or has already deployed. "We even cover the cost of mailings for the program," Ms. DiNardo said. 

If the recording is completed prior to a deployment, the military member is given a copy of the DVD and book, along with instructions and information on the program that the deploying member can leave with the child's parent or caregiver so that the recording can be introduced at an appropriate time after the member has deployed. 

"We encourage the parent or caregiver to photograph or videotape the child's excitement as they watch the DVD and follow along with the book so that they can send it to the deployed parent to help encourage them to participate again while deployed," Ms. DiNardo said. 

The United Through Reading program booklist includes a number of age appropriate titles for children ages infant to 12. 

To schedule an appointment to record a read aloud session or for more information contact USO New England's United Through Reading coordinator by email at unitedthroughreading@uso-newengland.org. Additional information can also be found on the USO New England Web site at www.uso-newengland.org, click on the United Through Reading icon on the home page.