Website: bushlibrary.tamu.edu
The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum Education Docent Program is a wonderful opportunity for our League members to develop their potential as leaders while teaching students about history and promoting literacy in our community. Last year over 31,000 children participated in the programs!
Our committee members lead tours each month and also help with the Bush Museum Storytellers Guild, which hosts a number of one day events during the school year and commonly draws 600 students per day for presentations like "Meet Ben Franklin" or "The Life of the Buffalo Soldiers". The docents also lead the children in classroom guided activities such as Congressional Role Play, Presidential Tic-Tac-Toe, and American Quilt making.
The George Bush Library uses the generous grant money provided by the League to purchase books that are given to the local school children. 27,175 books were distributed in 2010 with the Barbara Bush Reading Discovery Program, and 499 books were distributed with the Wayne Edwards “The Family Poet” Program. Our League has also been recognized nationwide by the Barbara Bush Literacy Corp, and by Mrs. Bush personally for our dedication to literacy with this program.
The committee members who serve as docents all enjoy education and leading children. After an initial application process with the library, the docents attend several training sessions and then shadow experienced docents before leading tours independently. The program is a wonderful opportunity to impact thousands of children each year and the rewards are felt by all. This program is a fantastic opportunity for all of us in JL to develop as community leaders and to have distinct visibility and presence in our community.