Words by Kat Mayuga | Photos by Arah Reguyal and Athena Montes
Many people will agree that reading is a good habit to form, especially among young children. It adds knowledge, widens your imagination, and improves your vocabulary. Some will even argue that reading improves one’s mood and relaxes the mind. No wonder some parents do their best to instill a love of reading in their children. In the same light, SM Cares along with its partners, UNICEF, Anvil Publishing, National Book Store, and Vibal Publishing have worked together to encourage children to develop their love of reading thereby helping improve literacy rate.
One of their programs is the National Children’s Book Reading Day. This is an annual event celebrated every 3rd Tuesday of the month in over 60 SM Supermalls both in the Philippines and in China. Its goal is to encourage the children to love reading at an early age by engaging them in a storytelling session that is fun and interactive.
Some of the books that were sold during the National Children’s Book Reading Day in SM MOA.
The most recent National Children’s Book Reading Day was held last July 18, 2017. During the storytelling event at SM Mall of Asia, National Bookstore gave all the children free copies of the three featured books that were read to them that morning: “Two Friends, One World”, “Bumabara-bara”, and “Ang Dalawang Haring Siga”.
Tender Juicy hotdogs were distributed to the children at the start of the program.
National Bookstore Kits (which included the free copies of the books) were given to the children.
The story telling sessions were graced by celebrity storytellers Martin Del Rosario, Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental Jennifer Hammond, and UNICEF Representative Martin Porter. Each of them read a featured book to the young students of Andres Bonifacio Elementary School.
Storyteller Martin Del Rosario reads the book “Two Friends, One World”.
Storyteller Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental 2016 Jennifer Hammond read the 2nd book entitled “Bumabara-Bara”
Storyteller Martin Porter from UNICEF reads the story of “Ang Dalawang Haring Siga”.
After each story was read, the storytellers explained the moral lesson of the story and encouraged the children to get into the habit of reading.
The grade school students of Andres Bonifacio Elementary School with storytellers Martin Del Rosario, Ms. Jennifer Hammond, Mr. Martin Porter and program partners representatives from SM Cares, UNICEF and National Bookstore.
SM Cares is the CSR arm of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. Their advocacies include Programs on Persons with Disabilities, Children and Youth, Women and Breastfeeding Mothers, Environment Sustainability, Senior Citizens, Social Entrepreneurship, and Overseas Filipino Workers (SM Global Pinoy).
As a responsible integrated property developer, SM Prime ensures that its CSR programs serve as a catalyst for positive change for the community that it serves. To know more about SM Cares, please visit www.smcares.com.ph, www.facebook.com/OfficialSMCares or email smcares@smprime.com
