The Illinois Judges Association’s project is a reading program for children in grades K-4 that encourages the appreciation, value, and enjoyment of reading. This program was initiated by one of the 19th Judicial Circuit’s very own, now a justice of the 2nd District Appellate Court (and former president of the Illinois Judges Association), the Honorable Mary Schostok.

“This reading deficiency affects student learning and contributes to the high school dropout rate,” Schostok said in a news release. “Our reading project is one small step which we hope will inspire young students to appreciate the value of books as they learn a little about history and our system of justice directly from a sitting judge.”

Twenty-one 19th Judicial Circuit Judges dressed in their black robes made classroom appearances, read a book, and donated various items to the schools from January through March.

Judges visited 25 classrooms, engaging 915 students. 18 gavels were donated to classrooms thanks to the Illinois Judges Foundation and the Illinois Judges Association.

The children were excited to receive bookmarks featuring Desi, the 19th Judicial Circuit Faculty Dog, courtesy of the 19th Judicial Circuit. In total, 592 bookmarks and coloring activity books were donated, also courtesy of the 19th Judicial Circuit.

Each classroom received five books donated through funding from the Illinois Judges Foundation: “Sonia Sotomayor” by Sylvia Lopez; “Abe Lincoln’s Hat” by Martha Brenner; “Escape North! The Story of Harriet Tubman” by Monica Kulling; “George Washington and the General’s Dog” by Frank Murphy; and “Who is Ketanji Brown Jackson?” by Shiela P. Moses with Who HQ.

This project is just one of several community programs run by the Illinois Judges Association.

These include the IJA’s Page It Forward reading and tutoring program; other IJA programs include: “Courtroom in the Classroom,” a presentation celebrating the U.S. Constitution; “7 Reasons to Leave the Party,” covering the consequences of drinking, drug use and other unhealthy behaviors; “Worries of the World Wide Web,” addressing the increasing problem of cyberbullying, electronic harassment, and sexting or pornography; and “Your Future, Your Choice,” educating students about the justice system, explaining how a case progresses through the system, clarifying the differences between juvenile and adult systems, and discussing crimes related to the internet and social media.

Information on these programs can be found on the IJA website.