Alexa Tymkiw, Cole Daley, and Zovya Wasylyk (IMP Class of 2025) are asking for your help in supporting early literacy and lifelong health outcomes for local youth. As co-chairs of the Reading Bear Society (RBS) Victoria Chapter, they have set up a holiday book drive and are looking for donations of new or gently used books for children aged 2 – 10 years old.
Research has show that having books in the home during early childhood can increase lifelong learning and health outcomes, Alexa, Cole, and Zovya explain.
Book drive boxes are located at coffee shops, fitness studios, and bookstores throughout Victoria, as well as in the lobby of UVic’s Medical Sciences Building. You can also arrange to have your donation picked up. (Contact information below.) The RBS Victoria Chapter will collect books until January 10, 2023, at which point they will send the donations to The Cridge Centre for the Family.
L – R: Zovya Wasylyk, Alexa Tymkiw, and Cole Daley (IMP Class of 2025)
The RBS is a not-for-profit initiative that aims to promote early literacy and healthy living in children through intergenerational leadership. There are four RBS chapters, one at each UBC MD Undergraduate Program distributed site. Along with organizing book drives and other resource collection and fundraising initiatives, RBS members establish buddy-reading programs, develop pediatric resources through FLEX projects, and engage in community visits to support learning and reading curiosity.
Alexa, Cole, and Zovya say their chapter aims to establish strong relationships within the Victoria community and its elementary schools through “Dr. Bear Visits” this coming year. During “Dr. Bear Visits,” medical students use teddy bears and interactive stories to teach young schoolchildren about visiting the doctor’s office. These visits allow children to engage in health literacy, as well as function to help reduce anxiety and uncertainty about visiting the doctor’s office, the co-chairs say.
To arrange for a book donation pickup, please email islandrbs@gmail.com with the subject line “Holiday Book Drive.”