Dr. Dolores Sarafinski honored for Hooked on Books
By GRETCHEN HOSLER - Knight arts and leisure editor
The Gannon Knight, Erie PA, September 8, 1999
Dr. Dolores Sarafinski was honored Monday, August 30, 1999, at the Neighborhood Art House in recognition of creating Hooked on Books!, a program in which adults volunteer to read to inner city children between the ages of 7-14. The program's original setting was St. Mary's School, but when St. Mary's closed, Dr. Sarafinski was not willing to let Hooked on Books! come to an end. When the Neighborhood Art House was founded in 1994 by the Benedictine Sisters who wanted to create an "oasis" for the inner city children of Erie, Hooked on Books! had a new home.
The intent of the Art House was to provide inner city children with free lessons in art, music, writing, flower arranging, kung fu and pottery to help them develop a sense of value for fine arts, and help them develop group and living skills needed for life. The Art House is an ideal setting for Hooked on Books! because the purpose for Hooked on Books! is not simply to help children with reading, but to help young students grow academically and socially by motivating them to learn and read independently.
Since 1994, when Hooked on Books! was introduced to the Art House, the program has grown rapidly. During the time Hooked on Books! has been offered at the Art House there have been more than 850 different volunteer readers.
There is so much positive energy surrounding Hooked on Books! that it continues to draw in more volunteers and children -- and it keeps them coming back. Where does this energy come from? What inspires volunteers to return time after ti me?
Anna Fannin, a volunteer reader and Gannon student, said, "I thought I didn't have enough time to volunteer and decided to read for one week, but after the first day I was hooked on the children as much as they were hooked on the books, and continued reading until the summer program ended. Many of us know we feel good about helping others, but this experience was more than that." She then added, "The feeling you gain from taking the time to talk to a young person and share a storybook is truly one we all should experience."
Michelle Ridge, the First Lady of Pennsylvania, spoke at the award reception for Dr. Sarafinski and said, "At this wonderful Neighborhood Art House, you unlock a tremendous treasure for all of the children who participate." She then noted an aspect of Hooked on Books! that many people may not see. "By helping children, and getting them hooked on books, you are helping families...Every child you help isn't just that child you help, but it is also the next generation of children, because we know that children's literacy levels are strongly tied to the literacy levels of their mothers...You are going to touch the generations that come after that child."
Dr. Thomas Ostrowski, Provost and Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs at Gannon, spoke of Dr. Sarafinski's years as a member of the English department at Gannon, and how he feared that the Writing Center and the Writing Across the Curriculum program would not be the same without her.
He said, "In some ways they aren't the same, but the genius of Dolores Sarafinski is that what she creates lives and thrives beyond her involvement." It is obvious that Dr. Sarafinski has created a thriving success with Hooked on Books!
Over the years Hooked on Books! has grown in leaps and bounds. Had it not been for Dr. Dolores Sarafinski's originality, and for the energy she continuously put into Hooked on Books!, it would not be the program it is today.