There's no need to read between the lines: Kieran Tatterson is passionate about reading.
The 14-year-old shared that passion with Temple Health patients on May 29 when he and his father, Ben, donated nearly 300 children's books to Temple Pediatrics, delivering them to the practice's N. Broad Street office.
Kieran led a school-wide book drive at Blackrock Middle School in neighboring Lower Merion to complete a service project as part of his eighth-grade leadership class. Accumulating hundreds of new and lightly used children's books was not the initial goal, he said. He was looking to extend his love for reading while "doing something that positively impacts our community" and making a difference for some of Temple Health's youngest patients.
"I remember how much I enjoyed reading every night when I was younger," Kieran said. "These books will be around for a very long time and could make a lasting impact on the children who read them. I appreciated every book I read, and I want to give others the chance to experience that same love for reading."
The books will be made available to Temple Pediatrics patients right away, said Julia Burger, MD, one of the practice's attending physicians.
"We are grateful for this act of kindness and generosity," Burger said. "These books will be ideal for our waiting areas to help children and their families pass the time, and we also hope children might take them home and share them with their siblings."