USO Reading Program

In the spirit of bringing military families together, the program is largely driven by virtual, on-demand story time offerings that will help the USO extend its reach and connect military families around the globe through reading. The USO Reading Program focuses on:

• Bringing story time on demand around the globe. Service members are able to read a bed-time story to their children from halfway around the globe. Service members can visit a participating USO location, record themselves reading their child’s favorite story and have that recording and book shipped home.
• Helping military kids stay connected through reading. Recognizing the challenges military children often face when dealing with separation, the USO Reading Program makes it possible for military kids to add a new book to their own library and share story time with someone they love by recording themselves reading and sending that recording on to the child’s special loved one.
• Supporting local reading programs in many USO locations around the world. Local reading programs are designed to serve the unique needs of each military community. For some locations, the USO Reading Program gives military spouses dealing with a loved one’s deployment a chance to spend some time with other families in similar situations. Other program events encourage kids to use their creativity and complete a craft that complements a story’s theme.