Teen makes a difference in the lives of kids

By Gary Henderson, Spartanburg Journal

Article published February 8, 2008

            Though she's 15, Emily Conrad is making a difference with many of Spartanburg's at-risk kids.

            With her parent's help, Emily started the Need to Read Book Club four years ago. Since then she's put books in the hands of 2,000 kids, most of whom had never owned one.

            "Our goal is to get across the idea that reading is fun," Emily said.

            Next weekend, the Spartanburg Repertory Company's production of the children's opera, "Harmoonia" opens at the Chapman CulturalCenter. Emily hopes to take at least 150 at-risk kids to a performance.

            The kids from the Boys & Girls Clubs and Spartanburg Children's Shelter are the ones she is working to send to the show.*

            For a few weeks, Emily has made the rounds among church choirs to ask for help in raising the $15 per kid she needs to carry out her plan.

            "The church choirs demonstrate how beautiful music can inspire," Emily said. "That's why I went to them."

            Besides their ticket to the opera, the kids will all receive a book, naturally, that's filled with profiles of famous composers.

            "We're shooting for 100," Emily said. "But we'll try to have 150."

            At press time, Emily had sponsors for 116 kids. And remember this, you don't have to be a choir member anywhere, or for that matter, able to carry a tune to help Emily.

            "We chose the opera because it's really exciting to think about kids getting to go to the Chapman Cultural Center and get a book on top of that," Emily said.

            Emily changed from Spartanburg Day School in September to home schooling so she could be free to look after the book club during the day.

            "We always try to have special events throughout the year," Emily said, "programs to inspire kids to read."

            In three schools, Holly Springs-Motlow, Mabry Middle and Whitlock Jr. High, there are 75 kids in Need to Read book clubs who gather after school to discuss books they've read. There's also a club called Anchor House for the kids who live at the children's shelter.

            Here's something almost anybody would like to do. The kids from the Anchor House will get a backstage tour at "Harmoonia" to see how productions are put together.

            Sometimes the kids dress up as the historical characters they've read about.

            Another part of the book club's activities is a program where members get business or individuals to donate money for every 100 pages they read. The money is used to purchase more books for kids.

            Catherine Conrad, Emily's mother, said you get to see kids helping other kids learn that reading is fun.

            "We've been finding all these ways to get kids to read," Conrad said.

            Every time I see Emily she tells me about something new the kids at Need to Read are doing. I'm already a big reader of books, but Emily's enthusiasm makes me want to read more.

            It was my sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Anna Mitchell, who taught me to love books. I can never thank her enough for that.

            Mrs. Mitchell opened the door to a world I might never have found without her memorable reading aloud to us each day for 30 minutes after lunch.

            Someday, kids who've become adults will look back and remember it was teenager Emily Conrad who did it for them.

*After press time, enough money was raised to also include children from Big Brothers Big Sisters, Children's Advocacy Center, COLORS, Ellen Hines Smith Girls' Home,  Madison's House, SPIHN, and The Haven.