Read-a-thon promotes learning and personalized care for families

Providence Oregon News Team

October 2025

Reclining in a darkened room, holding her newborn skin-to-skin, a new mother is reading a copy of "If You Were My Bunny". “I love reading with my baby. It’s quality time that we get to spend together,” she says.

For parents, especially new mothers, reading helps connect them with their newborns. Barbara Gillespie, RN, has been a caregiver in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Providence Portland Medical Center for seven years. Four years ago, she was approached by Randall Children’s Hospital to participate in a read-a-thon for Babies With Books, an international competition inspired by a teen-led literacy organization.

Providence Portland Medical Center is the only hospital in Oregon to place within the top three for a read-a-thon. “I took on the challenge the first year,” Barbara says. “My parents were schoolteachers, and I love reading, so it was the perfect fit.” The read-a-thon runs for two weeks at the end of September, with families starting healthy traditions while they are still in the hospital.

^{Barbara retrieves Goodnight Moon from the NICU resource library: five shelves stocked with children’s books.}

Developing positive habits in the hospital

Reading to newborns has a positive effect on everyone involved. “Reading is good for babies’ brain growth and language development,” Barbara says. “When babies hear their mothers' voices, they have fewer desaturations (or drops in oxygen), and we have an easier time weening them off their oxygen.”

Nicknamed the PPMC Baby Bugs, the NICU team has continued the tradition of providing learning moments to newborns and parents through books. “The read-a-thon helps parents’ bond with their baby, while relieving stress. It also starts them on a nice routine that they can continue when they go home,” Barbara says.

With funding from the Providence Portland Medical Foundation, every parent in the NICU gets two books during the read-a-thon to bring home, including options in different languages. “This year, every baby got a copy of “Giraffes Can’t Dance” and a “Mother Goose” nursery rhyme book,” Barbara says.

A read-a-thon to remember

Beyond serving families, the read-a-thon helps connect caregivers with their community. This year, Providence Portland Medical Center NICU won third place out of 249 hospitals in the international reading competition. “One person cannot do this alone, so success involves motivating the staff and patients,” Barbara says. “It’s a real team effort where nurses are helping read to kids and encouraging parents.”

Between educating patients and caring for newborns, Barbara busies herself creating gifts for competition participants. “The winning babies get books and clothes, with sweets for their parents,” Barbara says. “This year, our first prize winner got a nightlight, a sound system for lullabies and a tummy warmer.”

Our new mother came to the hospital with three days left in the read-a-thon. She ended up winning third place and taking home a goody bag with a plushie, clothing and books for her baby. “I didn’t know about this before coming into the hospital, so it was a nice surprise,” she says. “I feel grateful that we had this time to bond. I wasn’t expecting anything, and the gift bag was an extra blessing.”

^{Every participant receives a care kit, which includes a handprinted tote bag, books, a bookmark, a certificate of participation, 50 reading tickets for the competition and a onesie.}