On August 22, for the first time in over two years, the non-profit Reading Legacies' Book Bridges program was delivered to five women in a San Diego women's jail. The impact of the workshop extends to their children and families, who will soon receive a book and a recording of their incarcerated loved one reading aloud to them.  There was an immediate positive effect on the group of women. When asked if they felt any different about reading to their child or young family member after completing the workshop, one woman answered, "I am touched mentally, physically, [and] especially spiritually uplifted.”   
 
Volunteers talk about the value of reading and its importance in building a bond with their young ones.  In this particular workshop women's self-esteem needed to be lifted and with encouragement and group cooperation each participant read aloud, holding the book while a volunteer videotaped the storytelling.  
 
Photo: Rotarians Elana Levens Craig and Sandy Pugliese outside the Las Colinas on their first day as volunteers for Reading Legacies' Book 
Bridges Program
 
Santee- Lakeside Rotarians Elana Levens-Craig, former special education teacher and school board member and Sandy Pugliese, retired community relations manager and 22-year veteran school board member, were the volunteers to lead the first Book Bridges workshop after two years of not being able to enter the jails. In their words, the experience was “incredibly impactful.”