15-year-old Mark Legaspi spent his recent vacation volunteering as part of the Pohnpei Public Library Summer Reading Program.

“A few of us from the local congregation of Pohnpei and the Group Worship Service in Pohnrakied (a nearby village) were asked to help at the library during their reading hour for kids.“

#INCGiving volunteers helped put together masks representing characters different stories read in the program.

This year’s theme for the annual Summer Program was  “On Your Mark, Get Set, Read,” which aimed to encourage children from grades K-5 to 8^th Grade to explore and borrow books, and improve their reading levels significantly. Over 118 participants participated in the 4-week program where they were able to learn songs, crafts, and other educational activities along with the joy of reading.

“We were very excited to act out the characters in the story and be able to help the kids to understand the story better and to just have fun. A day before, we gathered and prepared the props and background for our skit. It was a very fun experience especially seeing the kids engaged and smiling. Afterwards we helped them make their own masks and did a few music activities with them.”

“I  think it is important for us to be able to always help our community especially the young generation. It is a nice feeling to make them smile and to hopefully make a difference in their lives. Through this we hope to also make known to them our church.”

INCGiving volunteers in Pohnpei continue to find different projects to help the community. Just a few months ago, they helped restore and renovate the Ohwa Village school library.

Contributed by: Mark Legaspi and Brother Scott Augustin