Book Drive Benefits Local Children

On October 29, 2009 the Fire Dragon troop of Camp Fire Long Beach Area Council came to Comprehensive Child Development with dozens of books for the preschool children at the Pacific Avenue Child Development Center. They are a troop of 10 boys who are all in 2nd grade at Longfellow Elementary School, in their third year together. The troop began when the boys were in Kindergarten. The book drive was part of the "Kiniya" service project.  The boys are: Casey, Ben, Jacob, Willem, Raphael, Nathan, Jack, Aidan, Owen and Gabriel.  The troop leaders are Cynthia DeCure and Nora Mueller. The boys collected then delivered the books and then divided up and went to all four classrooms and each troop member read a book to the children, who sat in rapt attention in a circle at their feet.
Comprehensive Child Development, Inc. (CCD) is a nonprofit organization providing high quality early childhood education for the preschool children of low-income working parents in the greater Long Beach area. Being primarily state funded, there is always a need to find ways to supplement classroom supplies and materials because of the gap in funding between state contracts and the actual cost of early childhood education. Many of these families have no money to buy books to read with their children. The reading experience is very important for future success as they enter into the school system. The families of CCD are very grateful to the boys of the Fire Dragon Troop. They are going to be great future leaders. For more information about CCD, go to www.ccdlb.org.