Develop a love of reading
PAULSHOF – The team from Arion Communications hoped to inspire youngsters to read during a special visit to the Look Forward Creativity Centre.
Local business owners Candace Bosh and Aimeé Serrão got the chance to help youngsters develop a love of reading recently when they visited the Look Forward Creativity Centre.
The two directors of Arion Communications, which is a writing company located in the Paulshof area, decided to visit the centre and spend time with the children reading, The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. They even hired a miniature train for the visit so the children could take a ride in their very own train after storytime.
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The Look Forward Creativity Centre is located in south Johannesburg and gives a home to children who have been abandoned, neglected, abused or orphaned, with a particular focus on making sure their children get the best education, care and support possible. The pair spent time with 19 children from the centre aged between one and 10.
The story of The Little Engine That Could is about a stranded train which is unable to find an engine willing to take it on over difficult terrain to its destination. But the little blue engine train is willing to try and, while repeating the quote ‘I think I can, I think I can’, it overcomes a seemingly impossible task. While reading, the pair incorporated funny voices and hand gestures in order to be more entertaining. “The Look Forward Creativity Centre caught the team’s attention with their mission of giving children a better life,” Bosch explained.
“Having the power to inspire the future development of children in our community makes our hearts beam with pride.
“Our hearts were so happy seeing the children’s smiles and hearing their laughter on the day. We got a little emotional when the children started chanting, ‘I think I can…I think I can’ as the train moved forward [after story time]. That moment will forever be ingrained in our memories.”
Serrão agreed that the visit was deeply moving for her, and hoped that it is an experience which will stay with the children as well. “From our visit, we hope the children remember that they are capable of achieving and doing anything they set their minds to in life.
“We want the children to know that it doesn’t matter what circumstances they have been through; they have the power to change the world.”
After the reading and train ride, Arion Communications gave each child a branded tub filled with goodies.
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