Kids Read to Lead

Published on August 26th, 2016

The PeaceFund's Book Initiative began in Los Angeles in July 2016. Adrian Paul read to over 45 children all ages 5 to 7 at the Los Angeles Boys and Girls Club. It was an overall successful event. Children were engaged in literacy as Mr. Paul read and had the children act out one of the books titled, "Peter Pan." The children also received two books to take home where they can read them again and again. Overall, The PeaceFund's Interactive Storytelling Initiative was a hit!

The Peace Fund will take the program into schools, pre-school programs, child care facilities and other events to share the experience with other young children. Adrian or one of our Celebrity friends will lead the storytelling.

We would like to thank our friends Casey and Rene Nezhoda of "Storage Wars" for their support by donating 5,000 books for young children to the program.

Updates

• Kids Read to Lead Visits Cahuenga Elementary School

  Published on March 16th, 2019

  On March 9, The Peace Fund’s Kids Read to Lead visited Cahuenga Elementary School in Koreatown.  Adin Rudd, an anime and voice actor, and teacher Kathryn Venable, brought Peter Pan to life for 60 students in the 2nd – 5th grade classes, including 12 special education students. The kids all loved it and seemed energized and excited for the experience.  Books were provided for the students to take home.

  

  Kids Read to Lead Celebrates Read Across America

  Published on March 3rd, 2019

  On Friday, March 2, The Peace Fund's Kids Read to Lead initiative joined Read Across America Day, celebrated on the birthday of the beloved children's author, Dr. Seuss. This event was held at Young Horizons in Long Beach, reaching over 100 children from 6 months to 5 years old.  Many parents, community leaders, staff, board members and Abagail Mejia, representative of the Long Beach Mayor's office, were on hand to read to the children. The children and staff spent the time leading up to the event with a week long Read Across America celebration. 

  With all these wonderful activities going on, children got to experience Dr Seuss books in depth through voice actress Erin Fitzgerald! The children were prepared for her visit and they overwhelmed her with love, through their gratitude, hugs, and amazing hand-made cards as a way to say thank you for coming to their center. The books were donated by Ruth Stalford of The Book Foundation, giving children the opportunity to share these books at home later with parents and siblings. The children were excited to have so many community members visit their school and classrooms.  One little girls said, “Please don’t go. Let’s play some more!”

  For these young children, t was a fantastic end to Read Across America Week. 

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  Kids Read to Lead is a Hit at ISANA Nascent Charter School

  Published on February 23rd, 2019

  On February 19, Laura Stahl, Kellen Goff and Kyle Herbert took our Kids Read2Lead Program to ISANA Nascent Charter School in Los Angeles.  Our wonderful celebrity volunteers brought to life Toy Story, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan to 75 students in four 2nd grade classrooms.

  

  Peace4Kids Holiday Event

  Published on February 23rd, 2019

  On Saturday, December 8, Kids Read to Lead joined the Peace 4 Kids Holiday Party at a Metro Atlanta Boys & Girls Club.  Peace4Kids is a nonprofit on a mission to build a supportive community for youth in foster care in South Los Angeles. 

  Ruth Stalford, the Founder & Executive Directive of The Book Foundation, a charity we highlighted in October, donated books for the kids while Adrian and several celebrities took our program to the event.  This was a large, fun-filled experience for the kids with all kinds of activities available so the reading was a little different from our usual events.  Trying to wrangle the little ones with so many distractions was entertaining in itself.

  Adrian was joined by Christina and Kyle Herbert, Kellen Goff, Zeno Robinson, Laura Stahl, Josh Petersdorf, Cherami Leigh and David Chen.

  

  Storytelling Initiative is a "T-Rex" Hit with Children at Young Horizons

  Published on April 13th, 2018

  

  Adrian and Erin Fitzgerald were joined by Raffi Frensley from Storybots to bring the latest Peace Fund interactive storytelling event to 66 pre-schoolers at Young Horizons in Long Beach, California.  Erin, with her amazing voice-over skills, is always a hit with the kids.

  The StoryBots are curious little creatures who live beneath our screens, offering a world of learning and fun for kids, parents and teachers.  Used in more than 35,000 classrooms around the world, StoryBots helps children practice literacy and math skills and explore science, history, behaviors and more.  

  Our friend Erin voices Bo in the amazing series, Ask the Storybots, which has garnered a total of 12 Emmy nominations for Season 1.  For those of you who are waiting, you can catch Season 2 on Netflix later this year.

  A huge shout-out to Raffy who donated the books from Red Leaf Press, a leading nonprofit publisher dedicated to the advancement of early childhood education. 

  Elizabeth Gracen and Leif Tilden Join The Interactive Storytelling Program

  Published on March 12th, 2017

  

  Thanks to the overwhelming success of last month's event, The Peace Fund's Interactive Storytelling Program revisited the Celerity Octavia Charter School last week.  Elizabeth Gracen, who many of you know from her time as the charming character Amanda on Highlander: The Series and Leif Tilden, best known as Donatello in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, regaled the students with the telling of Disney's The Toy Story.  The children had a fun-filled morning and each one got to take home a copy of the book to share with their family.

  As part of our mission to increase literacy and a love for reading among children, we plan on expanding the program throughout schools and after school programs serving some of our less fortunate youth.

  Interactive Storytelling Program Visits Celerity Octavia Charter School

  Published on February 12th, 2017

  Peace Fund's latest initiative, the Interactive Storytelling Program, thrilled children at Los Angeles' Celerity Octavia Charter School.  Many thanks to our friends Jason Mewes and Ricco Ross for volunteering their time to visit the classrooms and sharing this experience with the students and helping to foster a love for reading. The children were each given a copy of the book that they could take home with them and hopefully share again and again with their family.

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  The Peace Fund Takes it Program to Challenger Boys & Girls Club

  Published on December 18th, 2016

  

  On December 6, Kelly Hu and Josefa Salinas took The Peace Fund’s Interactive Storytelling Program to the children of Challengers Boys & Girls Club in Los Angeles.  Actress Kelly Hu is known for her work in X-Men 2, The Scorpion King, Arrow, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Warehouse 13.  She thrilled the children with her reading of “Toy Story”.  Josefa Salinas is an author, entrepreneur, journalist, philanthropist and radio personality who brought the book “Peter Pan” to life for a group of boys and girls.

  Founded in 1968, Challengers Boys & Girls Club is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the children of the community of South Los Angeles a wide variety of innovative programs designed to inspire and motivate them to reach their full potential – physically, socially and academically – and make positive life choices.

  Their mission is to promote the optimal social development for at-risk youth ages 6 to 17. They accomplish this by providing constructive and positive alternatives to alienation and juvenile delinquency through comprehensive programs focusing on: health and physical education; personal and educational development; parent involvement; cultural enrichment; and various social and recreational activities -- all designed to motivate, educate and elevate the children and teens of South Los Angeles to become productive, caring, responsible members of society.

  Alaina and Mark Share "Toy Story" and "Aladdin" with Watts/Willowbrook Boys & Girls Club

  Published on November 15th, 2016

  On November 15, The Peace Fund's Interactive Storytelling Program visited children at the Watts/Willowbrook Boys & Girls Club in Los Angeles.  

  In 1957 the Watts/Willowbrook Boys & Girls Club (WWBGC) was founded as a gift to the community from the Los Angeles Times Charities, Inc. Originally incorporated as the Southern Area Boys Club, this organization was the first Club to serve the South Los Angeles area.
  

  Thanks to Alaina Huffman and Mark Ryan who took time out of their busy schedules to visit children from Kindergarten to 5th Grade in an after school program at the Clubhouse and help bring books to life.  Children were entertained while Alaina read "Toy Story" and Mark took on "Aladdin".

  

  

  Ellen and Kyle Take the Interactive Storytelling Program to the East LA Boys & Girls Club

  Published on October 27th, 2016

  

  Ellen Hollman entertained a group of 5 - 7 year olds with her reading of the Disney book, "Toy Story".  Ellen came dressed as a unicorn complete with a horn, colorful ears, sparkly colors and wings...she had the group of 40 children believing she could really fly. The kids were totally engaged in the story and left with an ignited passion for reading.

  

  Kyle Hebert brought to life the book "Aladdin" for his group of 5 - 7 year old boys and girls.  The kids were totally engaged with his presentation, all pumped up from the story and with a new appreciation for the magic of books.  In a Peace Fund Radio taping after the reading, the teenage boys mentoring the younger children at the the Boys and Girls Club were equally touched by Kyle's presentation and Adrian's passion for the Interactive Storytelling program.

  Our Interactive Storytelling is a Hit with Parents

  Published on October 5th, 2016

  

  Adrian recently took The Peace Fund's Interactive Storytelling Initiative to the North Pacific Center, a Young Horizons pre-school location in Long Beach.  The children, teachers and parents loved the experience.  Instilling a love of reading in a child is one of the best gifts we can give them and one which will opens doors to all kinds of new worlds for them.

  We were delighted to receive some comments from parents of these young children who attended the event and would like to share them.