Lisa Amadio recently visited CHSD170's Lincoln-Gavin School to spend the day serving as the Guest Librarian in the school's Katherine Amadio Library.
Amadio spent the day in celebration of her mother's birthday reading and doing an activity with each class as part of the students' Library period.
"The Amadio family has generously donated many books to the library to encourage students to read for enjoyment," said Lincoln-Gavin Principal Cara Pastere.
"Mrs. Amadio loved to read," she continued, "and to honor her memory by promoting her love of reading is a wonderful tribute to a marvelous lady."
Amadio read the books, I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting off a Little Self-Esteem, by Jamie Lee Curtis, and The Juice Box Bully: Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others by Maria Dismondy.
"My mom, Kay Amadio, attended Lincoln school as a child," Amadio said.
"As an adult, Kay became an avid reader, and as a senior, she was homebound, but the books she read and listened to allowed her to go anywhere the story took her. Reading to her was like breathing. When she passed away, our family donated to the Lincoln school library, hoping to share her love of reading with the students of her childhood school."
After reading the books, Amadio completed an activity with the students.
"The students thoroughly enjoyed their time with Lisa," Pastere added.
"Mrs. Pastere generously allowed me to volunteer in the school library in honor of my mom's birthday. Each class came down to the library, and we shared 30 minutes of reading a story, sharing our thoughts about the characters in the story, and completing a fun activity," Amadio related.
"The students were charming and stole my heart. Time passed too quickly. The company I work for offers two volunteer days a year, and I am hoping to use the second volunteer day again in the Lincoln school library. The library is cozy and inviting with comfy chairs to sit and read; it is a child's paradise," she continued.
"If you love to read and you would like to share this enthusiasm with the students at Lincoln school, please consider donating a book or two to the school library in honor of Kay Amadio."
"To quote J.K. Rowling," Amadio concluded, 'It's the books that you read when you're young that live with you forever.'"