Brittney & Josh's engagement photos and service project

I have now taken Brittney's portraits, engagement photos and wedding photos :) It has been an honor.

This is Brittney & Josh Kohl's engagement photos and their service project...

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”                                                                                                         -Dr. Seuss, “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!”

I find reading to be one of the most enjoyable past times there is, and I also find that helping someone to better himself or herself brings me a very deep gratitude for those who have helped me to better myself. To me, reading is one of the best ways to have a great adventure and never have to leave the comfort of a school, workplace, or home; we can keep our childlike imagination, and yet gain a rich knowledge and understanding of the world as we immerse ourselves in all different types of books. For my most recent service project, I chose to once again tutor students. I chose this project because I have found that helping kids and reading are two of my favorite things; so why not combine them and try to pass on the love of reading? This time around though, I chose to tutor specifically second graders who are below their reading level goals. 

I have been tutoring at Hayes Elementary School in Oklahoma City, OK; and it has been a fantastic experience. The students I have helped are hungry for knowledge and want to be better at reading. I love that these kids aren’t ashamed of the fact that they are a little behind other students, and that they find reading to be fun! It has been very rewarding to help them read short story books, play word games, learn to pronounce words properly, and see them gain confidence in their reading abilities. 

Coming into this tutoring program more than half way through the school year, and traveling so much has made the number of tutoring days less than I would have liked, but I am so glad I was able to tutor as much as I did. I believe children need good mentors and tutors no matter how short the time you have with them. I don’t think most people know how wonderful helping a child learn to read can really be. It certainly takes patience, and a love for reading, but it is so rewarding; for both the child and the tutor. I may be repeating myself, but I don’t know how to fully express the joy that comes from helping some one else to learn something, or strengthen their ability in something they already know how to do.

I am so glad I chose to do this project even though I am new to Oklahoma. I sometimes feel like I don’t know anyone here, but each time I went to Hayes, it was wonderful to have the students greet me and have them remember me. I am so grateful DeAnn encourages others to serve and uplift others through the S.I.P. Project. If I could give any advice on how to pick your own perfect service project, I would say: sit down and think about what are things you like doing? Are you talented at something? Once you have come up with something or a few things (which I am sure you will), think of a way you can teach your talent to someone else. I also highly recommend going to volunteermatch.org to look for volunteer opportunities in your area. I love the opportunities we have to serve others, and I really hope I have encouraged you to go help a child to learn how to read!

I hope you are as inspired as I was by her service project. Take something you love in life and find a way to teach it to someone else. What is one of your talents that you would love to share? Take a few minutes and think about how you can make that happen. If you need help coming up with a way I would love to help you :) When you share your talents it's hard to say who benefits more the giver or the receiver, what do you think??? The "what do you think" sounds pretty cheesy but I DO really want to hear what you think. Before I was a blogger I didn't understand how much it means to bloggers for someone to take the time and leave a meaningful comment. Now I totally understand.

The school in Oklahoma City where Brittney was able to serve...

 Have a good one...