A call just came in from Linda Smith at Reading Village and it was just what we love to hear…

As we have reported before, Reading Village works in small Guatemalan villages developing an environment where reading is important and encouraged. To effect this change, they form leadership groups of middle and high school students who act as mentors to younger children, reading with them and encouraging them to succeed. The program also provides scholarships for the leadership group as well as free books for local institutions and groups. With the ability to read, these kids will have many more opportunities for self-sufficiency and independence than their parents ever had.

Linda’s voice was excited as she shared that her mailman had just delivered a package of the most beautiful bookmarks (and we think you will agree) that were made by the students at Temple Har Shalom in Warren, NJ. She knows that this package will be the first thing she puts in her suitcase for her upcoming trip to Guatemala.

Imagine…Hebrew school kids in New Jersey, connecting so thoughtfully with a group of Mayan children learning to read in remote areas of Guatemala…it truly is an olam katan…a small world after all.