Thursday, Sept. 6 was National Read a Book Day – the perfect day for children’s book author and Buckner Westminster Place member Ida Luttrell to share some of her books with children at the Buckner Family Hope Center in Longview.
 
Ida, 84, read from her book Three Good Blankets to the group of 10 children, ages 2 to 4 years old. After she finished, one of the Family Hope Center staff read another of Ida’s books, this time translating it into Spanish for the bilingual children.
 
National Read a Book Day is an annual awareness day inviting all people to pick up a book and spend the day reading. The day also promotes reading to others, whether it be aloud to children or seniors.
 
According to the site NationalDayCalendar.com, “reading improves memory and concentration as well as reduces stress. Older adults who spend time reading show a slower cognitive decline and tend to participate in more mentally stimulating activities over their lifetime.”
 
Ida was joined by her friend and fellow Buckner Westminster Place independent living member Mary Ellen Andrews. Their time at the Family Hope Center merged two of Buckner International’s pillar areas of service: vulnerable children and seniors.
 
For more about Ida Luttrell, read our resident feature article on her.