Read, Lead, Succeed
- Cynthia Brian
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
MIRACLE MOMENT®
“To be a leader, you must be a reader.” Cynthia Brian
A MESSAGE from Founder/Director, CYNTHIA BRIAN Cynthia Brian
The ability to read is one of the most important and rewarding skills that a person can achieve. Since I grew up on a farm in a very rural area that didn’t offer pre-school, kindergarten, or activities for young children, I didn’t learn to read until I was seven years old in first grade. From my first understanding of letters and numbers, I was hooked. I craved books and was delighted when I received one for birthdays and holidays. Once I learned to read, I took it upon myself to teach my four young siblings the gift of literacy.
Building our vocabulary and critical thinking are necessary for success. Being able to read is necessary for the simple things in life: reading signs, letters, invoices, menus, and just about everything. When we read, we increase our self-esteem, improve concentration, strengthen memory, improve writing skills, and enrich our imagination. With books, we can travel to distant lands, escape the daily grind, and comprehend complex concepts.
Summer is the opportune time to dive into a new book. To get children interested in reading, provide books on topics in which they are interested. It doesn’t matter if the stories are about tractors or stars; if a child is enthralled with the words, hearts will be opened, and minds will be expanded in every chapter.
I still have every book from my childhood. My children enjoyed them as much as I did. My love of reading and desire to increase literacy for all were motivations to create Be the Star You Are!® 501c3. Check out the book reviews penned by our volunteers at https://www.bethestaryouare.org/book-reviews for ideas for interesting books for all ages. Read the research about literacy.
With our nation’s 250th birthday this year, I suggest that you read or reread the Gettysburg Address, the Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of the Constitution. These documents will help us understand the wonderful experiment called the United States of America. Except for Native Americans, we are all immigrants seeking life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in this beautiful country.
Who could have predicted that a child who didn’t read until age seven would become an author of twelve books and founder of a literacy charity? Read, lead, and succeed.
Happy summer. Happy reading. Happy Birthday, America!
Cynthia Brian
Founder/Executive Director
Be the Star You Are!®
PO Box 376
Moraga, California 94556
DONATE: https://givebutter.com/BTSYA
WHY ARE BOOKS SPECIAL?
by Karen Kitchel
In today’s digital world, some people question whether books are still relevant. Yet books remain a valuable part of our lives. They entertain, educate, inspire, and help us see the world from new perspectives. Here are a few reasons why books are so special.
* Books help us escape from reality and explore different worlds. We all need a break from reality every once in a while. Reading can take us to places we’ve never been and introduce us to new ideas. They are also a great way to relax.
* We can learn almost anything from a book. They can transport us to different countries, cultures, and time periods—all without leaving home. Books help us better understand the world and the people in it.
* Inspiration comes from books. Like our best friend, a well-written book has the ability to inspire us to become better people and to achieve our goals. We can learn from some of the greatest minds in history.
* All ages have an opportunity to be entertained. Even babies will smile when given a touch-and-see book, and few gifts can spark a child’s imagination and love of learning quite like a good book.
Books promote creativity and imagination. When you’re reading a book, you can often imagine what the characters look like, what their voices sound like, and where the story is taking place. This can lead to some creative ideas of your
Enjoy reading good books this summer!
Karen Kitchel is the Kindness Coordinator volunteer with BTSYA. She purchased the book No Barnyard Bullies as a gift for every kindergarten student at the school where she volunteers as a teacher. www.scatteringkindness.com You can read more about Karen’s adoption story in the book Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers. https://www.bethestaryouare.org/book-gift
SUMMER READING
by Gowri Kamatchi
There’s something special about reading in the summer. Maybe it’s the extra free time, or the way a good book seems to make a hot afternoon pass more quickly. Whatever the reason, summer has always felt like the season for stories.
One of the best parts about reading is that there’s a book for every age. If you’re younger, I’d recommend the Rainbow Magic series, which is full of magical adventures, fairies, and friendship. For pre-teens, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries, or Kid Youtuber are great choices, packed with the funny and sometimes embarrassing moments of growing up.
As you get older, your options seem to grow along with you. If you’re a teenager or older, you can read just about anything that catches your interest. Summer is a great time to explore different genres—you never know what you might end up loving.
If you enjoy poetry, I’d recommend Les Fleurs du Mal by Baudelaire, a collection that reflects on beauty and human nature, or The Penguin Book of Women’s Poets, which brings together powerful voices from different centuries and experiences.
If you’re looking for a horror or mystery page-turner, I’d recommend Never Lie by Freida McFadden, a thriller filled with twists and hidden secrets, or Strange Houses by Uketsu, an eerie mystery centered around unsettling homes and strange disappearances.
If you’re looking for shorter reads that can make you more well-versed in today’s political climate, I’d recommend Animal Farm by George Orwell, a political fable about power and corruption, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a novel that explores wealth, ambition, and the illusion of the American Dream.
But if you have time on your hands for a good cry, I’d recommend Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, a heartbreaking story about family, identity, and loss.
No matter what you choose, reading is one of the few things that allows us to step into someone else’s world for a little while. This summer, consider picking up something new, revisiting an old favorite, and supporting your local library!
Gowri Kamatchi is a 16-year-old high school junior and content-creator volunteer with Be the Star You Are!® She has a deep interest in global issues, journalism, climate policies, and paleontology. Her hobbies are reading, listening to music, and rollerblading!
OUR RADIO BROADCASTS INSPIRE AND COMMUNICATE
Every week, under the auspices of Be the Star You Are!® charity and produced by StarStyle® Productions, LLC, listeners are encouraged and inspired on our two international radio broadcasts, StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® and Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio. StarStyle® is a lifestyle program bringing information and innovative ideas that will help with daily living, while Express Yourself!™ is hosted by teens, for teens, with discussions about everything and anything that interests youth today. Both programs are unedited, uncensored, and unapologetically authentic.
Listen to all Express Yourself!™ Teen shows at https://sites.libsyn.com/560220
Listen to StarStyle®-Be the STAR You Are!® shows: https://sites.libsyn.com/556617
CONGRATULATIONS TO TEEN WINNER, Julia Howe
Julia Howe has been a volunteer with Be the Star You Are!® and a host of Express Yourself!™ Teen radio for numerous years. She recently won the Princeton Prize and recently won the AAPI Youth Changemaker Award. She wrote that she is overjoyed and incredibly thankful for the mentorship over the years. Here’s what she wrote about this recent award:
“I was selected as the high school recipient of the AAPI Youth Change Maker Award by the APA Heritage Foundation for my work promoting appreciation of Chinese opera through Jing Shao Nian. (https://www.jingshaonian.org/ )The award was announced at the San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s AAPI Heritage Month Press Conference at San Francisco City Hall and presented at the APA Heritage Awards & Gala Reception at Herbst Theater, San Francisco’s annual AAPI Heritage Month kickoff celebration. As part of this recognition, I also received certificates of recognition from the California State Senate, San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, and District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter. I’m so grateful to have this work recognized and to continue helping young people connect with Chinese opera!”
Congratulations to Julia on this outstanding honor. We are certain there is more to come for this talented and dedicated young lady.
BOOKS AND MERCH
Books: A great way to support Be the Star You Are!® and give a gift that continues to give is to buy books as a donation through our portal. Check out our Book Package: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/book-gift
Merch: Find well-made clothing and hats with the Be the Star You Are!® logo at https://www.bonfire.com/store/be-the-star-you-are-merch/
Numerous colors and styles are appropriate for all ages. A percentage of the proceeds benefits Be the Star You Are!®
ABOUT BE THE STAR YOU ARE!®
Be the Star You Are!® is an all-volunteer organization that operates through contributions, in-kind donations, and proceeds from fundraising events. Be the Star You Are!® does not receive state or federal funding and is solely dependent on contributions from the community and corporations. Be the Star You Are!® is consistently honored as a TOP NON-PROFIT by Guidestar and Great Non-Profits.
Be the Star You Are!® supports all ethnicities and has no religious or political agendas or affiliations. Be the Star You Are!® is proud to have been serving the community, country, and world since 1999.
DONATE: https://givebutter.com/BTSYA
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