Two Generations of Readers Brought Together

The Boys & Girls Club of Durham and Orange Counties (BGCDOC) and The Forest at Duke recently partnered to bring together two generations through reading.

Every day, the BGCDOC serves 150 youth through its after-school program. 83% of those children are ages 12 and under. Additionally, it provides summer camp and athletic programming to over 300 youth. The organization has been in the business of serving since 1939.

Having selected their favorite books, donated by Book Harvest, fourth and fifth grade children read aloud to members of The Forest’s book club. Many of the book club members are former educators and certainly appreciated the time spent with the young students. Soon after the children began to read, their words led into conversations about books, school, life, and dreams. The connection between two generations was clear.

When it was time for the children to leave, many of them sighed groans of disappointment. In just a short period, reading brought together two very different groups of people. Book Harvest’s generosity inspired meaningful interaction between Forest residents and some of Durham’s youngest citizens. Notably, this quality time supported BGCDOC’s mission “to inspire and enable all young people […] to reach their potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens.”