Win/Win as New Iberia Kids Read to Cats
Some kids in New Iberia are reading to cats.
Sounds crazy, right? Well, it won't sound so crazy when we explain exactly what is going on.
A group called the LIT Crew (Librarians in Training) has been raising funds for a local animal adoption center on Troy Road in New Iberia.
According to KATC TV3, this 'literacy event' is a brilliant win/win situation that will benefit the kids, the cats, the adoption center, and society, as a whole (win/win/win/win, I guess).
The LIT Crew members consist of 4th, 5th, and 6th-graders who made the effort to collect donations for the animal shelter to help keep it up and running. Cat food and litter and other supplies can be costly, so these kids are doing a great service by donating the funds to help defray those costs.
The kids will also be reading to the cats which, at first, sounded like the craziest part of this story. What's crazy is that this doesn't happen more often.
Reading is good. It's good for the person reading. It's good for that person's community. It's good for the world. The more we read, the better educated we become, and the better we're able to work together as a society. (Read it for yourself here from kvbboekwerk.)
If we could take each child's interest and combine that with a reading program, I believe an increased interest in reading would result.
Does your kid like dogs? The same program could help those kids develop a love for reading while enjoying the pups! Tractors, fire engines, chickens, kitchen appliances, hammers, plants - an endless supply of subjects that kids may like that would be great to use to develop a love for, and a habit of, reading.
Now, back to the LIT Crew: while they are reading to the cats at the adoption center, they will also be able to handle the cats, petting and brushing them.
This interaction with the cats will do a few things:
- It will teach the kids to be delicate with animals and treat them with respect.
- It will show the kids how to help those in need.
- It will help the cats be more comfortable around people, giving them a better chance of being adopted.
- It may inspire one of those kids to grow up to pursue a career in animal science.
If your neighbor's kid comes around asking for donations for the local shelter, please consider helping them out. If your neighbor's kid doesn't come around asking for donations, please pick up a bag of pet food or cat litter or bleach or a blanket the next time you go shopping. When you drop those items off at your local shelter, I'm certain you get a smile and, more than likely, a purr, too.
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