BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Guest readers stopped by the Sisters of Charity Hospital NICU to read to babies during the annual Read-A-Thon competition. It's a 10-day event involving 300 other NICUs across the country aimed at bringing together community support for early development. The goal is to see which NICU can log the most hours of reading to babies.
I was one of the guest readers at the event and brought one of my favorite books, Corduroy, to read to the babies.
Sisters Hospital is partnered with local bookstore Alice, Ever After Books, for the competition. If you want to help out, you can go to the store's website and buy a book to send to the NICU. The books will go home with local families.
Last year, Sisters Hospital finished in sixth place in the Read-A-Thon among hospitals of a similar size. This year, the NICU Supervisor says the team is hoping to be number one. Even without a first-place finish, however, the message resonates.
"It really encourages reading early on, promotes brain growth, early literacy, helps with language development," NICU Supervisor Kelly Tidd explained.
The Read-A-Thon runs through the end of the week.
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