Meet Two Kids on a Big Mission!
Everyday Heroes Kids founder, Tammany Petrie recently interviewed the Everyday Heroes behind WEread2U.org
William & Ella are two Grade 3 kids & Everyday Heroes who love to read.
WE (William & Ella) record videos of ourselves reading stories and then send them to you to enjoy! Our goal is to share our love of reading with little ones in need of something to brighten up their days.
With a focus on children in hospital or with long term care needs,
WE select only the happiest, colourful and most inspiring stories that will send your imagination soaring to new heights, one story at a time!
EHK: Can you tell us a little bit about who you are and how you came up with the idea for weread2u.org?
Ashlee & Marie-Josee (moms to William & Ella): Ella and William are long time friends, brought together by the friendship of their parents long before they were even born! At the beginning of the pandemic, they created their own little book club, and would read to each other over zoom. Section, by section, chapter by chapter, they completed a full novel together a but more importantly, in a time of isolation, they felt connected.
Ella: Hi, my name is Ella and I am 8 years old and I started reading stories to my friend in the hospital and so I thought maybe I could do this for all kids, so I asked my book club buddy if he would join me!
William: Hi, my name is William. My friend Ella and I started a book club at the beginning of the pandemic to read to each other, share stories and connect. She sent a video of herself reading to a friend in the hospital and asked if I would join her in reading to more kids.
EHK: When did you start your program and what was the motivation behind it?
Ashlee & Marie-Josie: The WEread2U initiative began at the beginning of Spring 2021, as a spinoff to William & Ella’s virtual book club. Ella has a friend who has been undergoing Leukemia treatments for far too long, and when the Mom reached out to the community for new activities or book suggestions, Ella thought it would be nice to send her a video of story time.
William: I am happy to motivate and encourage other kids to read books of their own.
EHK: How does someone register for one of your stories and what is the criteria? Who are You connecting with?
Ashlee & Marie-Josee: To receive a story a parent can go to the ‘Receive A Story´ page on the website and fill out the short form. This helps us to better understand who the child is, their age and what type of stories might interest them the most! We feel that there are so many children that this would interest, however we are looking to prioritize kids who are in hospital, long term care, or who have ongoing therapy. We would like to leave the criteria broad, and let the families decide themselves if they feel this is a good fit for their child, and if so, we’d love to have them!
EHK: How do you choose the books You read?
William: I take a look at the books I like and check out the information the kid shared about what they like in the form they sent in, and then I choose from my favorites.
EHK: Does a grown up help you with your organization?
William: Yes, of course! Our moms!
EHK: Your website looks amazing! Can you give us a little background on the development of it?
Ashlee & Marie-Josee: William’s grandmother, Juliette, who is unfortunately no longer with us, generously translated most of the text to French for us, to make sure the mission’s vision was well communicated in both languages.
EHK: What inspires you both and why?
Ella: Reading is fun and interesting, if it gives information, then it’s cool to learn something new…or if it’s fiction, I like to pretend it’s real.
William: I take books that I like to read, books that look cool on the cover. I like how books bring you on an adventure and make you laugh.
EHK: What has been the most rewarding part of starting this organization so far?
Ashlee & Marie-Josee: The most rewarding moments have been when we receive feedback from the families about how much they have enjoyed listening to WEREAD2U’s stories — we were even sent some feedback videos from the kids themselves! It’s amazing to see the smiles on these kids faces.
EHK: Can you tell us about the first story you read to a child and what was that like?
Ashlee & Marie Josee: The first story read to a child was done even before this project took shape, and was the motivation for expanding our reach and sharing the love of reading with all children in need.
EHK: How are you connecting to kids so more people can find out about your stories?
Ashlee & Marie-Josee: William & Ella’s project caught the attention of a few news outlets and recently their story has been featured on CBC Radio, CBC TV and as well as CTV News. Most importantly however, word of mouth has been key through various supporters of the program, as well as posts on social media, in order to broaden awareness that this is available to families.
EHK: What is it you hope for when reading with another child and can you tell us a little about the time you spend with them?
Ella: I hope they like the book, and hope they ask for another story.
William: I hope they get inspired to even write their own book
EHK: Is there anything that the people reading this interview can do to support weread2u.org? Any requests for parents or pediatric professionals/organizations reading this?
Ashlee, Marie-Josee, William & Ella: Our wish is that medical professionals, those in organizations and those working closely with such children, spread the word, and help to inform the families that this program exists for their child! William & Ella’s goal from the beginning has always been to share their love of reading with others, and to make a difference in the lives of other children.
EHK: Anything else you want to share?
Ashlee, Marie-Josee, William & Ella: We have received such an amazing reception regarding our project, and wish to keep spreading the love of reading to all families from all backgrounds, who have a child undergoing treatment for their illness, those who are in long term care or in hospital. Keeping sharing our service/project with as many families as possible so we can reach more and more kids!
EHK: What would be the dream outcome for weread2u.org in the future?
William: To reach as many kids in need as possible, far and wide…making an impact in just one child’s life is extremely special, but to have the chance to read to so many would be a dream for us.
info@weread2u.org — Follow on Instagram at ‘weread2u’
Thank you William & Ella for being such an inspiration! You are truly Everyday Heroes.
