Rochester Storybook Project

The Rochester Storybook Project, now located at the Monroe County Jail in Downtown Rochester NY, began operations in 2015. It was inspired by a collaboration with the Northeast District Storybook Project, which has been operating for over a decade at the Ontario County Jail located in Hopewell, NY.

Our project serves incarcerated parents of young children who are invited to choose a short story, then record a reading of the story onto a CD. The CDs are mailed to each of their children along with new copies of the respective storybooks. Each child can then read along in the book while listening to his or her parent read the story. In so doing, this program benefits both the child and the parent. Children get to hear their mother’s or father’s voice talking directly to them, which helps to ease the pain of separation during the time of the parent’s incarceration. Also, children are more likely to develop an interest in reading, which so often happens when parents at home read stories to their children each day.  For the parent, the program offers comfort in making a loving connection with their children during this time of separation from home.

The Rochester Storybook Project welcomes volunteers to assist in making recordings inside the facility, as well as to help with other miscellaneous tasks that need to be done outside the facility. To be approved for service inside the facility, volunteers must be 18 years of age or older, and be approved by both the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, as well as by the Rochester Storybook Project team. Those interested in volunteering with our project should contact our coordinator, Britt Hopkin, by phone at (585) 309-6345, or via email at RochesterStorybookProject@gmail.com.  We’ll be glad to speak with you and send you the appropriate information and facility access applications.  We are also interested in exploring volunteer opportunities to serve this project from outside the facility.   All ideas are welcome!