This month, Page Turners would like to spotlight our volunteer of the month, Kim Evans. Kim is new to the Page Turners, starting her volunteer journey this past April, she has already read and reviewed 6 titles with us, totaling 44 hours of service! Here is what Kim had to say about her journey with Page Turners.
Can you give a brief introduction of who you are? (As much as you’re willing to share)
My name is Kim Evans and I currently live in the Oklahoma City area. I just celebrated my 27thwedding anniversary…it goes by so fast. We have two children, two grandchildren and two dogs. Our youngest is home from his first year in college and we are enjoying having him home. I’ve just celebrated by 24 years with Farmers Insurance.
How did you come across Page Turners/Words Alive?
Farmers Insurance has a Spring into Service initiative each Spring. A teammate was telling me about this awesome opportunity with Page Turners. She enjoyed listening to Ground Zero and felt she was able to provide a good review that would help teachers make good selections for their students. I hadn’t ventured into listening to audio books, but thought I’d give it a try as she explained the purpose and I thought this could be a way I could encourage young readers. I was encouraged to read as young child and it developed into a favorite pastime as an adult.
3. What are your hobbies/interests outside of volunteering?
I love spending time with my family and friends. It goes without saying that I love to read! I also enjoy being outside working in the yard and enjoying the wildlife…we have a family of turkeys that roam through our yard daily.
4. Has reading with Page Turners impacted your perspective on society or your community?
I read Sitting Pretty and it gave more depth to my thinking when it came to challenges for people using wheel chairs. I knew the obvious, of course, but there are so many day-to-day things that I take for granted. It also enlightened me to some of the socio-economic factors that I wasn’t aware of because the author was courageous enough to share her reality in great detail. I also learned a lot about history by reading They Call Us Enemy…there is a surprise at the end that I did not see coming. Sharing this history with young readers is important because it is so much easier to see things clearly when you are not impacted by the emotion of the event. Hopefully with the understanding of history, we can avoid these types of atrocities from occurring again. It was also inspiring as the main character was able to achieve great success by persevering, working hard and having courage to pursue his dreams.
5. What is your favorite book(s) so far?
Ground Zero: A Novel of 9/11, by Alan Gratz. I enjoyed that it was written from a young person’s perspective and that it was told from the perspective of an American boy and an Afghan girl. 9/11 was the main storyline, but there was also a lot about relationships and humanity.