Oakmont Tiger Scouts learn about literacy and helping others through book donations

Oakmont Tiger Scout Pack 137 members have learned a lesson in philanthropy and literacy while donating to a local charity.

Pack leader Melissa Havran and her Scouts collected about 30 books for Literacy Pittsburgh, a charity devoted to creating better lives through learning.

They made the donation Friday at Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont.

Tim Richart, Literacy Pittsburgh director of development, said partnering with groups like the Tiger Scouts is key to the charity’s success and growth of its programs.

“We do it all the time (and) we love it,” Richart said. “I think it’s really great that organizations like this pack reach out to us and want to do book drives for us.

It gives us an opportunity to accomplish a couple goals. We’re educating the community about our services and what we do. We’re teaching kids about philanthropy and what it means to give, and we’re collecting needed materials for our programs.”

Scout Nicky Talpas, 7, of Oakmont donated “Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck!” by Kyle Mewburn.

It’s a story about a boy who hides from his aunt because every time she comes to visit she gives him two big sloppy kisses.

Nicky said he’s learned to be kind through Scouting, and it was fun to help people have an opportunity to read. His favorite book is “The Good Egg” by Jory John.

Fellow Tiger Mike Havran, 6, the troop leader’s son, said he’s excited to help other people learn how to read. His favorite book series is ‘The Magic Tree House” by Mary Pope Osborne.

Eight Oakmont Scouts and a handful of girls and boys from other troops participated in the event. They earned a community service badge.

“I think they did great,” Melissa Havran said. “I think they really got an understanding of what the night was about, and the importance of reading and sharing reading with others.”

The books collected in Oakmont will be used in Literacy Pittsburgh’s family literacy program, which serves about 35 families a week. The charity helps about 2,600 adults a year in Allegheny and Beaver counties through its core programming.

Richart explained how people from various cultures and speak many languages are assisted by his organization.

He led the Scouts in a game in which they could not talk, and they had to line up next to each other based on their birthday month.

Richart said the game was to show the difficulty of communicating when people can’t understand one another.

Mystery Lovers Bookshop also hosted a book drive for Literacy Pittsburgh in December. It donated more than 50 books then.

“It’s an organization that we believe in and continues to need books and help people throughout Western Pennsylvania,” shop co-owner Tara Goldberg-DeLeo said. “It makes us really happy and we’re happy that (the Scouts) can help other people that aren’t as fortunate as them.”

People interested in donating books and helping out the Pittsburgh nonprofit can learn more at literacypittsburgh.org.