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“There’s no typical morning!”

Dave Stobbe and his wife Sarah, like so many parents with young children, are busy. Sarah is completing her nursing degree and Dave is a photographer. Juggling student life with the entrepreneurial life with four kids under the age of ten is frenzied bliss.

And the best part of the day is when they all get to wind down together and share story time.

“We all curl up on the couches together and read,” says Dave. “Story time is real family time.”

Coming together to tell stories is what fundamentally makes us human, and doing so as a family is one way to stay close in a world that pulls us in many different directions.

“The kids just love it,” says Dave. “It’s a really big deal to have to miss out on story time.”

Dave recognizes just how precious this gift is. Being able to read with our children is something that many of us take for granted, but is something that many families do not share. This really hit home for Dave when he started working with READ Saskatoon as their photographer.

“There are a lot of organisations that do great things for families and the community, but READ Saskatoon does something that is just so incredibly special,” says Dave. “It gives individuals confidence, and this builds families and communities in tangible ways.”

As Dave works alongside READ Saskatoon, capturing so many moments through his lens, he’s fallen in love with the work they do and how they do it.

“One of the things I love about READ Saskatoon is that at any given event, there are so many people from so many backgrounds,” says Dave. “This is absolutely amazing. It’s a testament to how the organization means so much to so many different people.”

At READ Saskatoon events, Dave sees people from all walks of life coming together to learn and improve – not just individuals and families, but society as a whole.

“It’s truly a unique organisation that can do that,” says Dave. “I can’t think of any other organization that brings people together in this way to just make the world a better place.”

This sense of togetherness and understanding that Dave feels working alongside READ Saskatoon is one that he feels at home every night at story time with his kids. He recognizes that it’s more than just reading books, but opening up the world to his children, and his children to the world.

“Reading to our kids exposes them to a world beyond the confines of our house, and even our community,” says Dave. “You open a book and boom, suddenly you’re experiencing another world. Whether it’s a fantasy world or learning about how other people in other places live.”

Dave knows it’s so much more than the gift of knowing to read and write, but the gift of being able to understand.

“It’s so important to help our kids understand the world that is often only accessible through the stories we share.”

This is the gift he sees READ Saskatoon giving to every person involved – whether it’s an adult learner, a participating family, or a volunteer.

“READ Saskatoon makes people’s lives better. It creates a dialogue of understanding in families and in the community,” says Dave. “It’s incredible to know that we can make such a huge difference in someone’s life by giving them the gift of literacy.”

“And who couldn’t get behind that?”