The Washoe County Family Court Reading Rooms directly fits the mission of the Reno Rodeo Foundation by helping children in need. There are about 20,000 children in Washoe County alone that must attend court because of various reasons, none of which has been their own doing.

As families go through court proceedings, children are exposed to an emotionally challenging situation. Our goal is to help create welcoming and friendly reading rooms just outside of the courtroom, to offer children a refuge from the emotional trauma of their family legal proceedings, where they can feel safe and comfortable.

This will be accomplished by providing two Reading Rooms decorated for children in a way that creates a sense of comfort. The Reading Rooms will be staffed by volunteers, retired teachers that will read to the children during their family legal proceedings.

After their visit, each child will be gifted a new book to take home. In many cases, this may be the first new book they’ve ever owned. With your help, this project will provide a positive impact to our community and will send a message that someone cares.

We are aware of only one other Reading Room in the nation. Located in Georgia, the room has proven to be very successful since its inception in 2016. Here’s an excerpt from the Judge who began the program:

“The atmosphere is very soothing, very child-friendly,” said Juvenile Court Judge Peggy Walker. “When children come to court, there is great distress in their lives.” Having a space for the children to wait during proceedings has been a need felt by juvenile court for a long time, said Walker. “Some issues are not appropriate for children to sit through,” she said. “We do have attorneys and guardian ad litems present, but they are sensitive to the children so as not to contribute to the stress they’ve experienced.” Walker said the reading room provides a much-needed service for foster care children, who can have disruptions in their education. “This is a way to make them excited about reading,” she said, “and gives them an opportunity to have something that belongs to them. Many of our children have never owned a book.”

The Reno Rodeo Foundation would like to stretch the $10,000, allocated by the Reno Rodeo Foundation Board of Trustees, to purchase new books for the Reading Rooms in Washoe County. Our goal is to reach $20,000. We also want this program to be sustainable and intend to continue to raise money through various fundraising efforts, by incorporating it into the Denim Drive donation campaign.

The Washoe County Family Court Judges support this project and understand the importance of creating an environment that minimizes trauma for children who must attend court proceedings. We appreciate your support in helping each child who walks through this room leave with a brand new book to keep as their own.